Worlds Apart, Living Right Next Door

Chapter Four. The Republican Candidate.

Matt Wechtel is the Madison County Chair of the County Commissioners. He is a Republican, has been a county commissioner for a little over 10 years, and he’s up for reelection this year. (Judy Major is his competition). In the almost 20 years he has been at the fore of politics in the county, the pendulum has swung, firmly, from Democrat to Republican. He doesn’t take any credit for this but says that Democrats who have switched parties tell him: “I’m not leaving my party. My party has left me.’”

He describes old school democrats in the county as religious and fiscally conservative. They are not into “let's just say, the radical social issues of the day.” By which he means, diversity, equality and inclusion. “I think anybody who’s got a religious basis realizes that the Creator only made men and women.”

Matt sees two key drivers for voters in this county. The first is the economy. “If you don't have money to pay for the things you need,” he says, “it's a problem no matter what else is going on,” and the second is personal freedom which he describes as “let me be me, and you’re free to be you. You’re free to do your own thing, but don’t impose your will on me.”

This does not, however, apply to a woman’s right to autonomy over her own body.

“I get what you are saying,” he says when I ask him this question. “That is a different issue.”

And we are off. We talk about abortion, which I understand, completely, is a sensitive issue, particularly here in rural North Carolina, the “buckle” of the Bible Belt, where at practically every turn there is evidence of Christian influence and power.

He tells me that abortion is “one step too far” even for old school democrats.

While “most people” see justification in the case of incest and rape, “I think it's pretty safe to say the vast majority of people in Madison County are not in favor of widespread abortions used for the form of birth control.”

Matt is the first Republican I have spoken with in Madison County, so this is the first time the “abortion as birth control” line is used with me, but it is repeated in practically every conversation I have with a Trump supporter here. I say that women are not using abortion as a form of birth control, that abortions are by and large used only when a pregnancy is unplanned. I say that I am firmly of the opinion that a woman has the right to choose.

“From that same standpoint,” he replies, “the woman's right to choose is constrained by the overall concept of, shouldn't the baby have a voice as well?” He goes on, “unplanned pregnancies are not hard to define. If you are participating in the act of unprotected sex, how unplanned is that pregnancy really at the end of the day?”

There is no room here for the possibility that, sometimes contraception fails, condoms burst, that no contraceptive method is foolproof.

[The following Sunday, I attend mass at Matt’s church - a Baptist church in North Asheville. In front of me is a young couple, who seem like they are completely involved. They stand close, no space between them, arms interlocked. She leans into him, and he embraces her. Their attraction to each other is clear. I wondered what would happen if she became pregnant, accidentally. Would she have to steal away across a state line if Mark Robinson, the far-right Republican candidate for governor is elected - he has, in the past, called for an outright ban on abortion in the state - or will she accept it as the will of God?]

Matt and I, we keep talking.

We talk about the climate crisis. Matt tells me he doesn’t think it’s on the mind of most voters in Madison County, and that it’s not on his mind either. He works in insurance, and he says that everything goes in cycles. He describes the “green agenda,” as just that, “an agenda,” and says that “when the government has to incentivize people to do, quote, unquote, what the government thinks is the right thing for people to do, there's a problem.”

“Mother Nature reclaims land quickly, if she is allowed to do so,” he continues.

Which led us to a conversation about public transportation. There is a plan afoot to invest in a light rail which would connect Asheville, in the western most part of North Carolina, with the capital, Raleigh, which is about two thirds of the way across the state and a good four hour drive. Asheville has not had a passenger rail service since 1975.

My eyes light up when Matt mentions this plan. City dweller that I am, I’m a fan of public transportation. Matt does not share my enthusiasm. “If the government controls the means of transportation,” he says, “that's a freedom that we give away, that we won't get back.”

“I take the train all the time,” I say.

“So, who runs the train system in the area where you live,” Matt asks me.

“Well, it’s run by the city - I live in London - so it’s London Transportation… “

“Right…,” he says,

“… which is run by the ..” and this is where he interjects with “government,” and I say, “mayor,” and he laughs.

“What it comes down to is the government telling me where I can go and when I can go there,” Matt says, “and as an American, I appreciate and enjoy the freedom of being able to go where I want to when I want … That’s a freedom I'm not willing to sacrifice.”

He does agree that a fast train to Raleigh - a train that took two hours as opposed to four - he would be into that.

Of course, we talk about Trump.

Does he believe Trump when he says he would be a dictator on Day 1. “You lived in New York,” he replies, “you know how bombastic New Yorkers can be,” and, he adds, Trump said he would be a dictator “only” on day 1. I ask him if he had heard Trump tell evangelicals they only needed to vote this one time - that “we’ll have it fixed so good,” they won’t need to vote again in 4 years. “I don't recall hearing that,” he replies, “so I don't know what context that was in. I cannot either confirm or deny or defend that.”

I ask Matt if he sees Trump as an existential threat. He doesn’t, and he throws the question back to me. Among other reasons, (climate, a woman’s autonomy over her body), I say that I fear for democracy.

“How do you define a democracy,” Matt asks me, “The United States is not a democracy, it’s a constitutional republic.”

This distinction, it turns out, comes up a lot with Republicans I speak to in Madison County.

“We go to the polls,” I say, “we vote, we expect our votes to be counted, we expect that there will be a peaceful transfer of power.”

“You will know,” I add, “Donald Trump still doesn’t accept the results of the 2020 elections,” despite conclusive evidence to the contrary.

Earlier in our conversation we had talked about January 6 and the assault on the US Capitol. Matt had said that while, yes, it was “an embarrassment,” when all was said and done, “you had a group of people who basically,” and he thought for a moment, “delayed the government for four hours.”

We got back into that discussion now. He described Capitol Police as “escorting” rioters into the building. I saw a Capitol Police that was overwhelmed and under assault. (Some footage from that day is here.)

Like many Trump supporters, he narrowed down Trump’s involvement to the speech he made instructing people to get down to the Capitol, without any thought to the build-up, the angry rhetoric, the refusal to accept the results, which came before.

While “people’s behavior that day was inexcusable,” he believes that the federal government was not truly at risk.

I ask him: you don’t think people running through the halls looking for Nancy Pelosi, or threatening to hang Mike Pence posed a danger to the government?

“You know, as someone who is a public official and has people that make threats against them, they had every right to be scared … but to say that President Trump was responsible for those individuals’ actions I think is a grandiose stretch.”

He saw my face.

“We're gonna have to agree to disagree on that, I guess,” he says.

Addendum. Since meeting Matt in August and writing this piece, Madison County has been decimated by Hurricane Helene. Matt and his family are “good and safe,” he wrote in a note to me. As to his campaign for re-election, it is “the furthest thing from anything I’m focused on at this time. We are 100% focused on the recovery and rebuilding of the communities affected by this storm.” He adds that only one precinct building was damaged as a result of the storm and alternative arrangements have been made there. Absentee and early voting will go on as originally planned. On the subject of climate change, Matt’s opinion has not changed in any way, and Hurricane Helene will not impact the way he votes. As to county residents’ opinions, he cannot say, as the subject of climate change has not come up with any residents he has spoken with. He writes, “people are in recovery mode at this time and totally focused on bouncing back stronger than ever versus casting blame.”

As this community rebuilds from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, and the media’s lens shifts to the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, please keep the people of Madison County in your mind. If you have some dollars to give, I’m linking here to HelpMarshall.org where you will see that you have many options. Thank you.