He ran a close race for Beaufort County Sheriff. What's next for JoJo Woodward?

Joey "JoJo" Woodward Jr. ran a close but ultimately unsuccessful race to unseat Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner this week.

While he didn't pull in enough votes to win Tuesday's primary, he says the county hasn't seen the last of him.

"I am going to be somewhere," Woodward said Thursday. "I love being a law enforcement officer. I am just waiting for the next chapter."

Woodward received 8,127 or 45 percent of the 17,950 votes cast in the primary Tuesday.

A large portion of his support came from the Bluffton area, where he won 14 of the 16 precincts, taking 53 percent to 73 percent of the vote.

That showing leads to this question: Is Woodward being considered for the open Bluffton police chief's position?

Woodward said he was not.

"If I am in the running, no one has contacted me," Woodward said. "I have not submitted an application."

Lt. Donald "Scott" Chandler is temporarily chief for Bluffton following Chief Joseph Manning's departure for a new position in Tennessee.

The Town of Bluffton is in the process of vetting candidates for the position.

Facebook also has been in an uproar following Woodward's loss. Some have called for him to run in November as a write-in candidate for sheriff.

"That is not coming from my campaign," Woodward said. He said he has no plans to run as a write-in.

For now, Woodward plans to spend time with his family.

"Campaigning took away from family time," Woodward said. "I am getting back to that."

Woodward previously was captain of the sheriff's office southern division. He resigned before announcing his plans to run against Tanner.

He started at the Hilton Head Island Fire Department in 1984 and in law enforcement with the sheriff's office in 1986.

In 1991 Woodward left to work for the Hardeeville Police Department as a patrol/drug officer.

He returned to the sheriff's office in 1992 to work in investigations and drug enforcement. He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant and later to captain.

This story was originally published June 15, 2018 at 4:18 PM with the headline "He ran a close race for Beaufort County Sheriff. What's next for JoJo Woodward?."