Taylor watch: Jeff Hunt says he won’t run

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Lending more weight to the prediction that former U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor will run again against current U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, we hear news that contender Jeff Hunt, the distirct attorney down in Hendersonville, won’t be running. The Hendersonville Times-News has the story:

District Attorney Jeff Hunt said today he will not seek the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler in the 11th congressional district.

Along with N.C. Sen. Tom Apodaca of Hendersonville, Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower and others, Hunt has been talked about as a possible GOP contender to reclaim the seat that Shuler, a Waynesville Democrat, took from U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor of Brevard last year.

“For many months, Western North Carolina a Republicans, friends and supporters have been urging me to run for Congress in 2008,” Hunt said in a statement. “I seriously considered running for this important office earlier this year.”

Hunt said recent events that pose challenges within the criminal justice system cemented his decision not to run for Congress. These include “a move by certain individuals to reduce penalties and accountability for certain crimes, and the creation of a public defender office.”

The decision removes one name from the hat for GOP activists who have been searching for a successor to Taylor while trying to get the former congressman to declare his decisions about the 2008 race. Taylor has so far declined to say whether he will run again.