She Vowed to 'Fire All Republicans.' Now the Indiana Democrat Says She Had Three Beers First.

Jaime West, a Democrat running for county council in rural Fayette County, Indiana, says she had three beers before the local TV forum where she promised to "fire all Republicans" and signed off with "We have guns too." She made the admission Monday on Piers Morgan's show, Newsweek reported.

Days earlier, she had told her hometown paper it was a Coors Light. Her story has shifted more than once since the clip went viral, and the local officials she pointed to have publicly contradicted her.

The forum

The forum was a small-town affair, hosted by Connersville's Local TV3 and the News-Examiner for county commission, council and school board races. West's Republican opponent for the District 4 council seat, Gary Keener Jr., missed it for business and sent a written statement instead.

Near the end of her segment, the moderator asked what decision West would make that might be unpopular with voters but good for the county. "Firing all Republicans," she answered, adding, "I don't even talk to them. I don't like them."

She allowed that "there are good Republicans out there," but said "MAGA" voters are "just racist and aren't very intelligent at all," Fox News reported. "Y'all did this to us," she said, blaming them for "this ICE coming into our communities." Asked for her final words to voters, she looked into the camera: "We have guns too."

Libs of TikTok posted the clip on Oct. 13 under the line "This is NOT a skit." It has drawn nearly 3 million views:

One beer, then a couple, then three

West first told the News-Examiner: "Well, honestly, I did drink a Coors Light before I went in there." She said she hadn't taken any drugs or medicine, and that a traumatic brain injury in 2020 makes her slur her words. "If you ask any of my friends, that's just Jaime," she said. "I tell it like it is."

On "Piers Morgan Uncensored" Monday, the count grew. "I had a Coors Light. I had a beer," she said. Pressed, it became "maybe a couple," then: "I was nervous, OK! I was going in a room with full Republicans!" When Morgan asked once more, she settled it: "Alright, three," TheWrap reported.

She said she was "not that intoxicated" and had no regrets about her comments. "I say it all the time," she said. "I'm not friends with them. I don't like them." Asked whether she'd keep drinking if elected, she changed the subject to Trump's Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, Newsweek reported.

The fire chief and the nephew

The beer count isn't the only story that came apart. At the forum, West said Connersville Fire Chief Scott Jones told her the city would lose a firehouse by 2029, which she took to mean voting for Democrats.

Jones answered on Facebook, per the News-Examiner: "There will not be any fire station closures in Connersville." And: "I have no affiliation with the democrat party or any of its candidates." He said a caller had asked how a state property tax law would affect his department, and he'd told them he didn't really know yet.

West also claimed "the sheriff's nephew threatened to blow my head off." Fayette County Sheriff Zac Jones told Fox News: "I don't know Jaime West and she obviously doesn't know me. I have 5 nieces and 0 nephews." West later said she meant a nephew of Jeff Adams, the top lawman in neighboring Union County. Adams told the News-Examiner: "I don't know who that would be."

The voters she'd fire

Fayette County isn't a swing district. Donald Trump won it with 77% of the vote in 2024, 7,625 ballots to Kamala Harris' 2,084, according to RightDataUSA's county results.

So "fire all Republicans" there is like a new waitress telling three of every four tables she doesn't like them, then asking for the tip. A county council writes the budget for everyone, including the people she says she won't talk to.

Zac Jones put it bluntly: "It's a sad day when this is the best the Democrat Party can get to run for this important local office."

Her party's answer

The local party hasn't run from her. West told the News-Examiner she has steered would-be donors to the Fayette County Democrats, and the party's vice president, Terry Sturgeon, said donations in support of her have come in. She hasn't dropped out.

Keener, meanwhile, promised in his forum statement to make sure "every tax dollar is spent in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible." Early voting is already underway, and the election is Nov. 3. West says she tells it like it is. On Republicans, at least, Fayette County voters already know where she stands.