Jaime West, running for Fayette County Council, told a local TV forum she would fire “all Republicans” and closed by telling voters “We have guns too.” Clips of the appearance have been viewed millions of times on X.
A Democrat running for county council in eastern Indiana has become an unlikely viral star after a local candidate forum went badly off the rails.
Jaime West, a candidate for the Fayette County Council, appeared at a televised forum hosted by local station TV3 and the Connersville News Examiner. She began by acknowledging she had not prepared the opening statement candidates were expected to give, and her answers that followed were halting and at times hard to follow.
“Firing all Republicans”
Asked to name an unpopular thing she would do in office, West answered: “Firing all Republicans.” She went on to say she avoids talking to Republicans, blamed Trump voters for immigration enforcement in local communities, and said that while there are “good Republicans,” she considered MAGA supporters racist.
West also claimed that a sheriff’s nephew had once tried to shoot her. Given a chance at a final message for voters, she looked into the camera, raised her hands and said, “We have guns too.”
Millions of views
The clip spread quickly after TV3 uploaded it, with the account Libs of TikTok sharing it and assuring viewers, “This is NOT a skit.” One repost on X was viewed about seven million times, with many users saying they had assumed it was a parody or a school project.
West could not immediately be reached for comment and does not appear to have addressed the reaction publicly.
She faces Republican Gary Jeener Jr. in the Nov. 3 election, which coincides with the national midterms.
Reporting in this story is based on the TV3 forum video and on coverage by the New York Post. The photograph is a stock file image, not a photograph of the event described.
