BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The next sheriff of Benton County will likely be known Tuesday night, as all three announced candidates are running as Republicans in the primary election.

Benton County Sheriff Race Draws Most Attention

The race has generated a lot of attention, because the candidates are colorful and all well-known names in the county.

A current sheriff, a former sheriff and a Rogers police officer all want the job, and they all tout their experience as the reason they should be elected.

"I think I know what it takes to serve the people of this county. I've got 38 years of experience in law enforcement. I think you have to be a law enforcement officer to be a sheriff of a county," said incumbent candidate Sheriff Keith Ferguson.

"Everything you see in the sheriff's office we created when I was in office. From the jail on highway 102 to the programs currently ongoing in the sheriff's office," said candidate Andy Lee, who previously served as Benton County Sheriff.

"I have been a police officer for 14 years here in Rogers. I've had assignments from crime suppression unit supervisor to public information officer to school resource officer," said candidate Kelley Cradduck.

One of the issues in this race has been gangs. The Ferguson said he is making progress in tracking gang members who come into the jail.

Both Kelley Cradduck and Andy Lee said that more needs to be done to crack down on gang activity before it gets out of control.

All three candidates planned to spend the day campaigning until the last minute.

See more information on other races in our Politics section.