Cawthorn’s first Republican challenger appears

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR

There’s been lots of speculation since very early in Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s tenure in Congress that he’d face a Republican challenger in the Primary Election, but now it appears there’s at least one person who’s willing to do it — Asheville Republican Wendy Nevarez.

“Experience is key. Leaders have to be strong and courageous and willing even when the establishment or the agency or organization they’re a part of is wrong,” Nevarez gave as the reason for her decision to primary Western North Carolina’s firebrand freshman congressman. “They have to have the ability to say, wait, come on guys … he just doesn’t have that yet.”

Nevarez grew up in King’s Mountain and after a semester at the pricey, private Gardner-Webb University joined the U.S. Navy, shortly before the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Working in disbursement and personnel, Nevarez tired of missing her children and received an honorable discharge in 2012, taking a civil service job in Norfolk.

After a visit to Asheville, Nevarez and her family moved to the area. She took a job in manufacturing, but quit when she realized she was about to give birth to twins. While staying home to raise them, Nevarez earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNC-Asheville, and went on to get a master’s in public administration. Currently, she’s a legal assistant at the Van Winkle Law Firm.

Her campaign Facebook page just launched, but a campaign website, www.wendyforwnc.com, is not yet active.

Voter records show Nevarez voted in Pasquotank County from 2008 through 2012, and in Buncombe County thereafter. A Federal Elections Commission search revealed that Nevarez established a campaign committee on April 7.

Nevarez’s entry into the field all but guarantees a crowded race on both sides — Democrats Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and Josh Remillard have already launched their campaigns, and rumors continue to swirl about other Dems seeking entry into the race.

On the Republican side, powerful Hendersonville Sen. Chuck Edwards is under intense scrutiny as a purported Cawthorn challenger for a number of reasons, but Edwards has yet to say anything publicly about the matter.

The Smoky Mountain News: Voter records show that you’re a registered Republican, but you pulled a Democratic ballot in the 2020 Primary Election. Why?

Wendy Nevarez: I will call it “political homelessness.” I hold those traditional Republican views that honestly we just human and family values but the problem was, the party didn’t look like what it was

Wendy Nevarez.

Donated photo

when I signed up originally. It was time to renew my driver’s license and the lady happened to ask me if I’d like to register and I said, “I’m registered, but can I change?” So I went ahead and marked down “unaffiliated.” Honestly, I thought that was probably the best choice because then I would actually have a choice in the primary. I thought it was the best thing to do at the time. That’s pretty much the story. I know I’m going to get called a certain term.

SMN: RINO [Republican In Name Only]?

WN: Yes, but I truly believe that no one person or party is right all the time. Anybody that claims to be is just not the kind of leader I want to be associated with or the kind of leadership I want to be associated with.

SMN: Cawthorn has been pretty closely associated with former President Trump since he won his runoff election last year. By running against Cawthorn, you’re going to end up running against Trump. Are you ready for that?

WN: I’m always ready. The Navy taught me that.

in other ways. I’d bet he’s going to put a big target directly on this district. Do you think Trump’s support still carries the weight that it did back when he was president or do you think the party is trying to shift away from him?

WN: I think the party is probably still about where it was. I mean, we’re not that far removed. I think Jan. 6 and the current track record of the Republicans that he did support is convincing some people to reconsider. But he still has a huge base, and honestly, I’m not focused on that. I really could care less. I’m not in this to worry about Trump. I’m in this to worry about the people that are my neighbors that live in Western North Carolina. You’re always going to have somebody against you no matter how likable you are, so I’m not too terribly worried about it.

SMN: Some of the counties out here in the district polled more than 75 percent for Trump, both times. How are you going to convince these people that you’re a better choice than Cawthorn?

WN: Time, and a lot of conversations.

SMN: In March, the House heard two gun control bills. One would clamp down on transfers of weapons between unlicensed individuals, and the other was about background check waiting periods. Cawthorn voted against both of those. Do you support what a lot of people call common sense gun reform, like red flag laws, waiting periods, even an assault weapons ban?

WN: That’s a tricky one because I believe everybody has the right, and we have to understand what the difference in a right and a privilege is, and we are given rights and privileges from the Constitution. However, if you don’t know how to operate a large bulldozer, you don’t just let anybody get up into it. I’ve been going through this recently, I have one [child] that’s 18 and one that’s about to be 15. You don’t just put a teenager into a vehicle and say, “All right, have fun, pick up all your friends and stay out all night.” We reformed to where now they have a graduated license, right? So, there’s a common ground somewhere between the Republican view and the Democratic view on gun control right now.

The fear factor is that somebody is going to come and take your guns. I don’t believe anything that the Democrats are doing is intentionally going to try to take anyone’s firearms away from them however I do believe we need to say, “Are you mentally healthy enough to have a firearm?” I mean, we already do this. To get a concealed carry you have to have a doctor’s signature in North Carolina that says, “Yep, she’s good to go.” I’ve shot semiautomatic and automatic weapons. Honestly in my opinion, the ability to take that much life at one time is only necessary for war.

SMN: Going back to Trump’s tax cuts in 2017, we have increased the national debt from about $20 trillion in 2016 to about $30 trillion today and that includes the five or six COVID-19 relief packages, including President Joe Biden’s most recent, called the American Rescue Plan. Rep. Cawthorn voted against it. How do you feel like you would have come down on that bill?

WN: On all of these packages, I would have voted for them because we’re looking at putting money back into these establishments and these agencies that help take care of people — education and health care, all of these things that make a difference in everyday citizens’ lives. Putting on my accounting hat and balancing a budget, I think at the end of the day we need to stop doing these continuing resolutions and really go through a true budget cycle and look at where we’re spending money. In my household when I don’t have enough income to cover expenses, I either cut my expenses or I get a second job, or I do odds and ends. I don’t go to my neighbor and ask to take money out of their wallet to pay my bills.

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR

Democrat Stacey Abrams in neighboring Georgia.

As North Carolina Republicans seek to “Georgia’s right there,” Woodhouse said. maintain dominance across the state and in the 11th Congressional District, they’ll do so under new leadership after t f “We saw firsthand on our own local news — because many of us get the Georgia stations — what was happening there. We’re seeing electing Hendersonville Republican Michele Woodhouse as their new district chair on t the impact right now in Georgia with Major League Baseball and how influential she is. April 10. “I had upwards of about 90 text messages e We saw it when, after the shootings in Atlanta, [President Joe] Biden, [Vice in the first 15 minutes after the vote,” said Woodhouse. “What was great about it was that it was people that said they’d never been involved before and now want to serve d u President Kamala] Harris, Abrams and [U.S. senators Jon] Ossoff and [Raphael] Warnock all met, and they weren’t talking about those shootings and they weren’t comparing on this committee.” Woodhouse has been involved in Republican politics for more than 20 years, e e NCAA brackets. They were talking about how to use what [Abrams] did in Georgia and cascade it out.” and has been active in campaigns in Michigan, in Henderson and Wake counties, and in the 11th District. She prevailed in the 11th District convention by a weighte r d Woodhouse’s victory drew praise from several of North Carolina’s most prominent Republicans. “I want to congratulate Michele ed vote of 578 to 179 over Buncombe Woodhouse on her election Saturday. Her Republican and Trump delegate Mark Delk and will serve a two-year term, following e leadership as the District 11 Chair will play a critical role in keeping western North previous Chair Aubrey Woodard, who served for four years. “We had the largest turnout in credentialed delegates that we have ever had in the 11th. We had 500 credentialed delegates at g e s s Carolina red in the 2022 election cycle,” said Michael Whatley, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. “The 11th District is an extremely strong and influential voice for our state party, and we look forthe convention,” said Woodhouse. “We were the only convention that was done 100 y ward to building even more success with Michele at the helm.” percent virtual. We have the worst Wi-Fi of any place in the state of North Carolina, and we have the oldest delegates. So that was y h During last year’s Primary Election runoff, Woodhouse was an ardent supporter of Cawthorn. quite a recipe, right? It could’ve gone really poorly, but we had over 400 that sat through three-and-a-half hours of a virtual convention on Zoom.” c y “I want to send my warmest congratulations to Michele Woodhouse on her newly elected position as NC-11 Chairwoman,” Cawthorn said April 12. “Her tireless work

That level of enthusiasm bodes well for ethic, and dedication to conservative princi-

WNC Republicans, who will have to defend ples make her an admirable choice for NC-11 the seats of Rep. Madison Cawthorn and several state legislators in 2022 elections. t Chair. I am excited to work closely with her as we direct our focus towards building a They’re also wary of the successes of x better future for the people of this district.”

t

Apply for Pre-K program at Long’s Chapel

The Long’s Chapel Child Enrichment Center is accepting applicants for the 2021-22 NC Pre-K program.

Enrollment packets will be available or pick up through Friday, April 23. For your child to qualify, he/she must have turned 4 on or before Aug. 31 of the program year. N.C. Pre-K students will attend the CEC from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, with additional care options available from 3 to 5:30 p.m. if needed. Screenings will be held June 28-30.

For any questions about the CEC or the NC Pre-K Program, contact Belinda Marr at Belinda.Marr@LongsChapel.com or call 828.476.4153.

Celebrating Barbara McRae

A celebration of life for Barbara McRae will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 17, at the gazebo in downtown Franklin.

McRae passed away in March after a long battle with cancer. She was the editor of The Franklin Press for 10 years, served on the Franklin Town Council as the vice mayor and was involved in many community history and preservation projects.

Social distancing and masks are required.

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