By Marla Jones • marla@southerntorch.com

DEKALB COUNTY, Ala. — After a very close and hard fought race, former Valley Head Police Chief Nick Welden won the Republican nomination for DeKalb County Sheriff over Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson.

Welden began his campaign for DeKalb County Sheriff just over a year ago at the June 2017 meeting of the DeKalb County Republican Breakfast Club. Throughout the years, Welden has had many hats during his seventeen years in law enforcement. He served as both a state trooper and game warden before eventually landing in Valley Head as Police Chief.

The final results were:

Michael Edmondson - 6,045 Votes

Nick Welden - 6,386 Votes

Welden set several goals for his campaign including streamlining the Sheriff’s budget, increase patrols and officer saturation, and lead a Department with conservative values that is accessible to the public.

“Praise the Good Lord,” said Welden. “Without Him, we wouldn’t be here.”

Welden has been married to his wife Audra since 2002 and they have three children: Cody, Khloe, and Winter (who actually turned one on Election Day).

“We ran a cheap, grassroots, original, Praising-The-Good-Lord campaign,” said Welden.

Welden will face the uncontested Democrat John Baker, a former state representative and state senator, in the general election this November.