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3 candidates are tracked for Winnebago County Sheriff on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Darin M. Rice, Jason W. Rippl and Danielle Falesnik. Candidate information follows official Winnebago County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Darin M. Rice was the only candidate to file in the Republican column and Jason W. Rippl the only candidate to file in the Democratic column, so both advanced to the November 3 ballot without a contested primary, per the Winnebago County Clerk's official August 11, 2026 primary election information packet listing candidates by party and office. Independent Danielle Falesnik separately qualified for the November ballot by nomination papers; on August 30, 2026 she announced she was ending her active campaign and endorsing Rippl, but county offices are not among the offices Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. sec. 8.35(1) and (1m)) allows to withdraw from the ballot after qualifying, so her name is expected to still appear on the ballot despite the announcement, per the Wisconsin statutes and Oshkosh Northwestern/Yahoo News coverage of her announcement. All three candidates are running for the seat held by retiring Sheriff John Matz.
Rice is a captain overseeing the Field Services Division of the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, with a more than 20-year department career beginning in 2004 that has included corrections, patrol, investigations, training and special operations, per his campaign site and Fox11. He was endorsed by outgoing Sheriff John Matz, per Fox11.
2026 priorities (per the campaign site)
- Building a sheriff's office focused on customer service and positive community engagement
- Safeguarding children, seniors, crime victims and people facing mental health or substance abuse challenges
- Modernizing technology in a fiscally responsible way and exploring inter-agency collaboration
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-09-07.
Campaign site →
Rippl is a patrol officer with the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, with a more than 20-year department career beginning in 1998, per Fox11. He has said he plans to hold regular town halls and attend community events to build direct relationships with residents, per Fox11.
Campaign site →
Falesnik qualified for the November ballot as an independent candidate by nomination papers, but on August 30, 2026 she announced she was ending her active campaign and endorsing Democrat Jason Rippl; because Wisconsin's ballot-withdrawal statute does not cover county offices, her name is still expected to appear on the ballot, per Wisconsin law and Yahoo News/Oshkosh Northwestern's coverage of her announcement. She is a licensed professional counselor with 15 years of experience in mental health and administration, including as owner and director of an outpatient psychotherapy practice, per her campaign site.
2026 priorities (per the campaign site)
- Improving how law enforcement responds to mental health, addiction and family-conflict crisis calls
- Evidence-based policing that balances public safety with civil liberties
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-09-07.
Campaign site →
