Meadows chosen at Trump’s chief of staff

Counties won by Bennett Bennett Cawthorn Haywood ...............................................2,132..........................1,094 Madison .................................................474 .............................369 McDowell ..............................................1,454............................794 Mitchell ..................................................986 .............................387 Rutherford ............................................1,025............................281 Transylvania...........................................913 .............................900 Total: ....................................................6,984..........................3,825

Counties won by Cawthorn Bennett Cawthorn Buncombe.............................................4,629..........................4,705 Henderson.............................................3,748..........................7,377 Polk ........................................................406 .............................657 Total: ....................................................8,783.........................12,739

Total in counties won by Bennett or Cawthorn..........................15,767........................16,564

Counties won by Jim Davis Bennett Cawthorn Davis Cherokee ................................................863 .............................427 ...........................1,872 Clay ........................................................472 .............................157 ...........................1,020 Graham ..................................................254 ..............................86..............................471 Jackson ..................................................755 .............................366 ...........................1,197 Macon...................................................1,269............................423 ...........................2,996 Swain .....................................................231 ..............................73..............................453 Total: ....................................................3,844..........................1,532..........................8,009

8 A ‘conservative ballot’ was distributed to voters with only Lynda Bennett listed as a candidate for the 11th Congressional District. File photo

ELECTION, CONTINUED FROM 7

Friends morning news talk show. “That really motivated a core base of people who have been looking for an opportunity to take our country back.”

Cawthorn has officially called for a runoff, and has the support or endorsement of the majority of Republican candidates who ran — most of whom were upset with the way Bennett entered the race, and the way in which she’s run it so far.

That includes Steven Feteke, Jr., Joey Osborne and Dillon Gentry. While two other candidates believe what Meadows did was wrong according to Cawthorn — Jim Davis and Vance Patterson — they’ll both be supporting and stumping for Cawthorn in the runoff.

All that backstory sets up what will likely be a contentious runoff election between Bennett and Cawthorn on May 12. A quick look at how the candidates fared in the March 3 Primary Election shows how that might shake out, if no other scandals or controversies erupt between now and then.

“Almost 80 percent of the people who voted in the Republican primary in Western North Carolina voted against over $600,000 in PAC money, and Mark Meadows’ star power, and this small ruling elite in Washington that says, ‘Hey, you’re not sophisticated enough to pick your leader, so we’ll do it for you,’” Cawthorn said. “Yeah, perhaps she finished 2 percent ahead of me, but that was when she was outspending me six-to-one. I am beholden to the people of Western North Carolina. She is beholden to and enslaved by these special interest groups and people in Washington.”

Cawthorn narrowly edged out longtime N.C. Sen. Jim Davis for second place by winning just three counties of the 17-county congressional district — Buncombe, Henderson and Polk.

Polk is relatively small, and Buncombe is substantially larger. Cawthorn bested Bennett in those two counties by slim margins, but it’s Henderson County where he really cleaned up.

Cawthorn earned almost double the votes Bennett did there, totaling more than 7,300, good for more than a third of his 18,418 votes. Bennett came away with just 3,748 in Henderson County.

If he’s to win, he’ll need to branch out from those three counties.

The same goes for Bennett, who won Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, that part of Rutherford County that’s in the 11th District, Transylvania and her home county of Haywood.

Cawthorn calls for forums, Bennett silent

If you’re one of the 90,000 Republicans that voted in the 11th Congressional District primary, chances are good you didn’t vote for either Lynda Bennett or Madison Cawthorn.

More than 50,000 voters had other ideas, but now that their candidates are out of the race, it’s time to learn more about the two that remain in advance of the May 12 runoff. Cawthorn’s eager to appear before voters in a debate or public forum, Bennett not so much. “I’ve requested that, and there have been requests from several different groups that both candidates show up to a forum,” Cawthorn said. “Ms. Bennett seems extremely unwilling to do a forum. She’s told me no several times.” Cawthorn has a good idea as to why that is. “She must have something to hide. It’s the greatest chance for voters to get to see who they want to represent them. You can just put both of us right side-by-side and ask us questions directly. I have no desire to sling any mud at Ms. Bennett, I have no desire to attack her, but I do believe that we should both be able to sit there and have an opportunity to say what we believe,” he said. “If she wants to have the questions written down for her so she can see them beforehand or if she wants to pick what the timeline is, she can have whatever rules she wants.”

There are plans in the works by The Smoky Mountain News to hold just such a forum in Haywood County in the coming weeks.

“I’m willing to debate anywhere, at any time,” Cawthorn said. Lynda Bennett did not respond to SMN questions regarding her participation in SMN’s forum, or any other forum.

In the counties won by either Bennett or Cawthorn, Cawthorn holds a slight edge with 16,564 votes, about 800 more than Bennett.

Counties now at play include the two won by former Meadows advisor Wayne King, Avery and Yancey, but there aren’t many votes there, meaning that the far west — and Jim Davis — may be the key to victory for the eventual Republican nominee.

Davis won six of the seven counties he’s represented in the Senate for the past 10 years — Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain.

Together, those six counties accounted for more than 19,000 Republican votes cast in the Primary Election. When adding King’s two counties to the total, Bennett holds a substantial advantage over Cawthorn, with almost 3,000 more votes than Cawthorn’s 1,854.

“The reason for that is because Jim Davis and I bring a lot of the same attributes to the table,” Cawthorn said.

With Davis out of the race, how well Cawthorn does in those six counties over the next few weeks — and how much Sen. Davis helps him — will go a long way toward winning the west.

Lynda Bennett did not respond to a phone call and an email request for an interview.