James “Trae” Watkins, a candidate for the Lynchburg City Council, announced Friday that he is withdrawing from the November race. Reed, Boswell and Watkins also sought the Republican nomination but did not secure it. On June 13, the Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee upheld appeals protesting the firehouse primary and nullified the results of the nomination process. Reed, Taylor and Boswell continue to campaign as a team, as they did in the lead up to the firehouse primary. Rybinni is running as an independent candidate but was not involved in the local Republican party’s nomination process.