Less than an hour after the Elections Office closed, and with it the window for candidates to qualify for the June primary ballot, Mychal Evenson announced on his campaign’s Facebook page that he is dropping out of the Humboldt County auditor-controller race and supporting Cheryl Dillingham’s bid to unseat incumbent Karen Paz Dominguez.

Paz Dominguez turned in her candidacy papers and signatures shortly before the deadline Friday.

Here’s the statement posted to Evenson’s campaign’s page:

Evenson

Hello Humboldt,

From the day I declared my candidacy, I have said that I would step down if a more qualified candidate arrived. A more qualified candidate arrived today and that person is Cheryl Dillingham. This election was never about me, it was about protecting my community and its future.

I had the honor of working for Cheryl when she was the interim Auditor-Controller. I have seen first hand that she has the communication, leadership, and accounting skill to unravel the mess that the county is in. I wholeheartedly endorse Cheryl and I will work to help her win this election.

I thank you for your support over the last few months. After we know more about what withdrawal looks like from county elections staff, I will reach out to each of my donors individually.