Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey, who lost his Republican nomination bid during the county’s May Primary Election, announced on Wednesday that he will be seeking re-election through a write-in campaign bid against Rusty Barnett.

Just shortly before the qualifying deadline on Wednesday, Humphrey completed the state-required paperwork at the Carter County Election Commission to officially launch his write-in bid. Humphrey called a press conference to announce his decision.

“It took a lot of soul searching for this decision,” Humphrey said in making his announcement. “I want to qualify first and foremost, that this is not about Leon Humphrey. It has nothing to do about Leon Humphrey and being mayor of Carter County. It has everything to do with trying to represent the majority of our citizens to the best of my ability.”

During the May 1 Primary Election, Rusty Barnett won the Republican nomination for the office of Carter County Mayor, beating out Humphrey, Danny Ward, and Larry Shell.  Barnett captured 3,680 votes while Humphrey came in second place with 2,955 votes. Ward garnered third place with 2,236 and Shell brought up fourth place with 615 votes. Barnett’s margin of victory over Humphrey was 725 votes.

“I conceded that election on election night. I called Mr. Barnett before all the results were tallied and announced,” Humphrey said. “That was what was in my heart at that time.”

In the days following the election, Humphrey posted a statement on his Facebook page stating he would not run a write-in campaign. In that statement, Humphrey said he had been contacted by individuals asking him to run again.

“I would like to make clear to everyone, ‘This WILL NOT happen’! Mr. Rusty Barnett won the election; he is Mayor-Elect,” Humphrey said in the online posting. “We all should get behind him and do everything possible to insure a smooth transition. His success will be our success. Carter County’s future and long-term well-being should be our primary focus for we are truly at a critical point.”

Humphrey said he has been “bombarded” with phone calls from residents since the Primary Election asking him to challenge Barnett with a write-in bid. Those calls from citizens are what Humphrey attributed as being the cause behind his change of heart.

“Folks are concerned as to the outcome of this election. Mr. Barnett is a nice guy. Everybody likes Rusty,” Humphrey said. “However, he does lack the educational background and work experience necessary to fulfill the duties of the office of County Mayor.”

“These people who have contacted me are concerned, and they have encouraged me on a daily basis to run this write-in campaign,” he added. “It’s not been a simple decision. I have labored over it and toiled over it.”

“It’s for the citizens. It’s not about Humphrey. It’s for the citizens and what is best for them,” he added.