Nathan West Announces Withdrawal from NC House District 115 Race, Endorses Primary Opponent

BUNCOMBE COUNTY – Embattled Republican Primary candidate Nathan West, running for NC House in District 115, has announced he is dropping out of the race and endorsing Republican Amy Evans.

From the press release:

“After several meetings with Amy and considerable reflection with my friends and family, I’ve come to the conclusion that she represents our best chance to defeat the incumbent in November’s general election,” commented West. “And given our local
political climate, a divisive Republican primary just won’t contribute to that larger goal.

West reluctantly agreed to put his name forward, if only to hold the seat open, because no other Republican candidate at that point had decided to run. Evans ended up filing 15 minutes before the primary deadline closed.

Had I known Amy was going to throw her hat in the ring, I really wouldn’t have jumped in this cycle,” said West. “I have a great deal of respect for her: she’s smart and she’s had an impressive career in business.”

West had recently faced scrutiny for allegedly owing more than $100,000 in unpaid tax bills, as well as thousands in unpaid child support. He also seemed to serve as a Thom Tillis plant during a primary debate for U.S. Senate in 2014. He essentially baited candidate Dr. Greg Brannon into a constitutionally consistent answer so Tillis could smack him down and imply he wanted mentally ill people to have guns.

With West riding into the sunset, the path is clear for Evans to contest Rep. John Ager (D) in November. Evans has an impressive business history and a nose for free market solutions. We’ll have a profile piece on Evans in the coming days.

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