A candidate for a seat on the Randall County Commission has dropped out of the race.

Vance Snider, an Amarillo gunsmith, announced on Saturday that he would be dropping out of the race for the Republican nomination for Randall County Commissioner in Precinct 1. Snider said he made the decision to withdraw from the race due to unforeseen events, which will take his family out of the area during the campaign season.

“I wanted to go ahead and let people know I won’t be able to finish this race to give the other candidates a better chance to make their case to voters,” Snider said.

Snider, a well-known local Republican, previously ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2020. After failing to make the runoff, Snider became a key surrogate for Ronny Jackson’s successful campaign in the runoff election. Snider then went on to work as the West Texas field director for President Trump’s 2020 campaign.

Despite Snider withdrawing, his name will remain on the ballot, as he did not withdraw in time to have his name removed. The two active candidates in the race are retired sports coach Rick Cooper and business owner Brian Bailey. The district in which the two candidates are running encompasses part of southeast Amarillo and northeast Canyon, as well as rural areas between the two cities.

The Republican primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, 2024.