Former USS Cole Commander Kirk Lippold announced on Thursday that he was officially withdrawing from the Nevada House Special Election and endorsing the Republican nominee Mark Amodei.
“I am grateful and deeply moved by the level of support for my candidacy, but considering the unique circumstances of this election and for the good of the Republican Party in Nevada, I feel a sense of duty to step aside at this time,” Lippold said in a statement.
Lippold had drawn a lot of heat for not withdrawing from the race after the Republican Party’s Central Committee nominated Amodei, and instead waiting for the state Supreme Court to make a decision on whether or not the Central Committees had the right to nominate the candidate in the unprecedented special election. The Court decided last week in favor of the Central Committees.
There had been rumors that Lippold would still try to get his name on the ballot by running as an independent candidate, but he quashed them.
“The decision to withdraw was extremely difficult, as I feel my record of service and my message of strong conservative values and ethics clearly resonated throughout every corner of the district,” Lippold said. “But I care too much about the Republican Party to consider running as an Independent, I respect the people who carry out the process and I share their desire to see Kate Marshall defeated. We can not afford another big government, tax-and-spend liberal in Congress.”
But the former naval commander left the door open for a possible future run. (Amodei says he opposes debt limit increase in second TV ad)
He noted that he had had a strong fundraising quarter, netting more than $74,989 and finishing with $58,499 cash on hand. Lippold also pointed to some of the more notable endorsements he received – from former state congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich, Combat Vets for Congress, and Concerned Women’s PAC.
“I came back home after 26 years in the Navy in order to serve my state, and I hope to have the opportunity to do so in the future,” Lippold said