HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — After Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton announced he was running for reelection last year, a number of republican candidates entered the picture, attempting to take the helm after Talton’s history-making five-decade-long tenure as sheriff.
Candidates ranged from political newcomers to long-time sheriff’s office employees to the sitting Houston County District Attorney.
But after the polls closed, Houston County Republican voters made their decision: Matt Moulton is the republican nominee and will take on Democrat Arthur Harris in the general election on Nov. 5.
After the win, he said he thinks the biggest takeaway is experience.
"I think the voters were looking for someone with the attributes of leadership like Sheriff Talton has had for the last 52 years. He's led the county well and lead the Sheriff's Office well and I think they were looking for someone that was able to do what he's done," Moulton said.
Matt Moulton is a lieutenant for the sheriff’s office. He was endorsed by Talton earlier this year. Matt Moulton said his uncle, who served as a Bibb County Deputy, inspired him as a kid. Now, Moulton wants to carry on the legacy of the longest-serving sheriff of Houston County, Cullen Talton.
Here’s how Houston County republican voted:
Jimmy Dunn: 2%, (222 VOTES)
Matt Moulton: 57%, (6,819 VOTES)
Slate Simons: 16%, (1,983 VOTES)
Will Kendall: 25%, (3,015 VOTES)
Moulton attended Rosa Taylor Elementary School, Springdale Elementary School, Tattnall Square Academy and Central High School. He graduated with a college preparatory diploma in 1993.
While he was an SRO, Moulton said, he was teaching teenagers about the consequences of their choices in hopes of educating young adults to deter them from criminal activity.
Moulton said he was approached by the Georgia Public Safety Training Center about a job opening, so he applied as a public safety training instructor.
Moulton said he was responsible for coordinating and instructing the Basic Law Enforcement Training Course (BLETC), the 408-hour course that certifies peace officers in Georgia, during his time there from 2013 to 2014.
He sought a position as a deputy at the Houston County Sheriff's Office after his time at the GPSTC and was hired there in 2014.
He's been with the sheriff's office for the past nine years. Since joining the sheriff's office, he was promoted to a field training officer, traffic deputy supervisor and narcotics investigator.
Today, he is the lieutenant assigned to the criminal investigations divisions.
He said after today he's going to take a break to spend some time with family and then get back to work.
In Houston County, democratic candidates have an uphill climb, but the race is still technically undetermined. Arthur Harris has not been in law enforcement recently, but he had spells with Warner Robins Police and about 25 years with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, Harris told 13WMAZ in an interview.
As the vote tallies stream in, we are following races across Central Georgia, ranging from sheriffs’ races to commission seats to the race for mayor of Macon-Bibb County. You can see more of our live coverage here. You can also see all the races we’re tracking here.