CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Chesapeake Sheriff Dave Rosado announced he's continuing his election campaign after losing to Chesapeake police officer Wallace Chadwick III in last week's Republican primary.
“I’m not conceding. I’m not stepping aside. And I’m not going to pretend that what just happened in Chesapeake was fair,” Rosado said.
Rosado, who's been with the sheriff's office for more than 20 years, became sheriff in November of 2024 to finish the last year of Jim O'Sullivan's term upon his retirement. A judge waived the need for a special election that year.
Last Tuesday, Rosado got about 41% of the votes cast in the primary. The remaining votes went to Chadwick III, who's been with the Chesapeake Police Department for more than two decades.
With no Democrats or Independents in the running, the winner of the primary seemed poised to serve as the city's next sheriff. However, Rosado says he's since resigned from the Republican Party of Chesapeake, allowing him to be a write-in candidate in November's general election.
In a release, Rosado says last week's election was "not a fair process," citing the fact that only voters who participated in the Republican primary had a say in the city's sheriff's race.
"In the Republican Primary, there was over 12,000 votes casted for a position that serves over 253,000 residents. Because there were no Democratic or Independent candidates on the ballot in November, voters who participated in the Democratic primary or received a Democratic ballot had no say in choosing the next Sheriff," the release says.
News 3 also obtained Rosado's resignation letter to the Republican Party of Chesapeake. In the letter, he accuses "party insiders" of "creating a culture of exclusion and control."
"...from the very beginning, the party chose not to support me. In fact, it actively worked against me. Rather than championing experience and proven leadership, I was undermined, dismissed, and used as a political scapegoat—my Brooklyn, NY roots thrown back in my face despite moving to Chesapeake in 1999 and dedicating my life to serving this community," Rosado wrote in the letter.
News 3 reached out to Chadwick III's team for comment. His response is as follows:
"Dave Rosado made the informed decision to enter an open Republican primary — a fair process — where he outspent us 5 to 1, yet still lost by 17 points. Now, unhappy with the results, he is violating his oath and launching a write-in campaign.
We won decisively and fairly in June because Chesapeake is ready for change. Voters are tired of an interim Sheriff who has wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars plastering his name and face on everything — and continues to make the office about himself while failing to do the job he is sworn to do. That’s why this desperate, last-ditch effort to cling to his title will fail.
The Office of the Sheriff doesn’t receive a coronation handed down from the former Sheriff and it doesn’t belong to any one person — it belongs to YOU, the people. As Sheriff, I will keep the focus where it belongs: serving the citizens of Chesapeake. In November, just as they did in June, voters will send another clear message — change is coming. The Sheriff’s Office will return to its true mission: protecting and serving the people, not being used as a political tool or a vehicle for anyone’s personal ego.
I’m proud to have earned this nomination in a hard-fought primary and will work even harder to win by even larger margins in November to begin serving all people of Chesapeake — regardless of party or creed. Together, we’ll restore integrity and purpose, building the best Sheriff’s Office in the Commonwealth, working 24/7 on your behalf."
The general election will take place on November 4.
