LOCAL

Former GOP chair Nathan West pulls out of North Carolina House race

Mark Barrett
The Citizen-Times
Nathan West

MONTREAT – Former Buncombe County Republican Party Chairman Nathan West said Monday he is dropping his candidacy for a state House seat.

West declined comment when asked whether he would support the other Republican candidate in the race, Black Mountain resident Amy Evans, and said he is withdrawing to avoid "a bloodbath of a Republican primary."

Supporters and critics of West have traded barbs on social media and former party Chairman Chad Nesbitt raised questions about West's financial difficulties and related issues.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that continuing my candidacy at this time wouldn’t be in the party’s best interests,” West said. “Given the local political climate, an ugly and divisive Republican primary just won’t contribute to defeating John Ager in November’s general election.”

Ager, a Fairview Democrat, holds the seat representing House District 115 that West had sought and has no opposition for his party's nomination in the May 8 primary. The district takes in several communities in an arc running north and west from Fairview to include Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville, Alexander and part of Leicester.

West said he decided to run reluctantly as the filing period drew to a close because no other Republican had filed.

He said Nesbitt, former county school board member Lisa Baldwin, who is second vice chair of the county party, and current party Chairman Carl Mumpower had pushed Evans' candidacy.

As county party officials, Baldwin and Mumpower are barred by party rules from favoring one candidate over another. Both said Monday they had encouraged Evans to run at a time when they were unaware West would file but had not backed her over West once they learned both were running.

Mumpower said recruiting candidates is part of his job. He said West's statement indicates there had been "some communications breakdowns."

"Politics encourages a certain amount of drama and negativity and it sounds like some of that may have been injected into the formula," he said.

Evans, a Black Mountain businesswoman, issued a press release Friday evening saying West was withdrawing.

"I want to thank Nathan for his generosity and his support, but mainly for his dedication and service to the Buncombe County Republican Party over the years," she said in the release.

The deadline for removing West's name from the ballot has passed, said Trena Parker Velez, county elections supervisor. Many absentee ballots have already been sent out and some have been returned, she said.

Early voting for the May 8 primary begins Thursday in Buncombe County.