Scott J. Israel, who fended off attacks about his party affiliation and internal affairs record, was ahead in a five-way Democratic primary Tuesday for Broward's most powerful post: county sheriff.

Richard ''Rick'' Lemack, Hollywood assistant city manager, was close behind.

Now comes the biggest test for the primary winner: trying to unseat incumbent Republican Sheriff Al Lamberti in the general election in November.

The winner of that contest will become leader of one of the largest law enforcement agencies in Florida.

Lamberti has more than double the campaign contributions of any individual Democrat, better name recognition and support of many Democrats despite being a Republican.

But Israel -- should he emerge as the winner -- has history on his side in a heavily Democratic county: scarcely any Republicans have won countywide contests in the past few decades.

''If I am fortunate to win this election, I look forward to challenging Al Lamberti,'' said Israel, a former Fort Lauderdale police captain. ``We are going to be able to challenge him in so many ways.''

Lemack, former assistant police chief in Hollywood, could not be reached for comment Tuesday as final votes were being tallied.

Broward voters faced a rare competitive sheriff's race because Sheriff Ken Jenne stepped down last year amid public corruption charges. Jenne, a Democrat who held the office for about 10 years, is expected to leave federal prison in September.

APPOINTED BY CRIST

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Lamberti, previously a BSO major, to replace Jenne last year. BSO manages the jail, handles security for the airport and seaport and is the main law enforcement agency for more than one dozen Broward cities. The sheriff oversees a $700 million budget.

Israel established himself early as the front-runner in fundraising among Democrats -- which, in turn, prompted opponents to target him.

He was dogged by attacks about his party affiliation because he switched from Republican to Democrat in November. In one flier, Israel's photo was alongside those of George Bush and Dick Cheney.

Israel's foes also criticized him for being the subject of 10 internal affairs investigations while in Fort Lauderdale. He was cleared of wrongdoing in every incident.

The feisty Israel fought back -- arguing that as a cop busting bad guys, he was bound to be the target of some complaints.

He used his last name to reach out to Jewish voters. In Pembroke Pines, Israel's supporters handed out small Israeli flags and urged voters to ''support Israel,'' hoping it would give them a boost with the hundreds of Jewish voters in Century Village.

Late in the campaign, some of Israel's supporters were part of a group that distributed a flier trying to link Lemack to scandals in Hollywood.

``Broward Sheriff candidate Richard Lemack is the Assistant City Manager in Hollywood and a former Hollywood cop. So, what did he know . . . and when did he know it?''

The flier listed several newspaper headlines, including articles about four Hollywood officers convicted in an FBI sting last year and a city commissioner who was ultimately convicted of corruption. Lemack said he had nothing to do with those scandals.

Eliminated in the primary: state human relations commissioner S. ''Shak'' Dhanji, Wiley Thompson, former chief of staff to Jenne; and Bruce Lee Udolf, attorney and former U.S. Justice Department official.

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