Jamie Ager
Who: Jamie Ager
Where: NC-11
Why: All of the ingredients are in place to flip North Carolina’s 11th Congressional district from red to blue: a candidate with wide name recognition, a weak opponent, and a proven winner at the top of the ticket.
Jamie Ager is a fourth-generation farmer in western North Carolina. His grandfather, Jamie Clarke, served in the U.S. House, and his father John and brother Eric are former and current members of the North Carolina State House. Ager co-founded Hickory Nut Gap Farms, a sustainable meat company that has partnered with the state’s Department of Agriculture to supply local grass-fed beef to local schools.
Ager’s tiny Fairview community was among those hardest hit by Hurricane Helene two years ago. Residents throughout his district are still living in campers and waiting for promised funds from the federal government to rebuild their homes and businesses, and Ager’s first priority will be delivering recovery funds. His campaign is also focused on making healthcare affordable and accessible—first by reversing the Medicare and Medicaid cuts enacted by Congress in the Republican budget bill but also by seeking a public option that could increase coverage. “As an entrepreneur, I admire creative solutions to problems,” says Ager. “Health care is a great example of where we need fresh ideas — and I’ll work with anyone to get that done.”
Ager had expected to be running against two-term incumbent Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards. But on August 4, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee recommended that Edwards be censured for “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” Shortly after this news broke, Edwards announced that he would finish out his term but withdraw from November’s election. When Edwards was still in the race, pundits were fairly evenly divided between rating NC-11 as a “toss-up” or “leans Republican.”
Another factor that could help Ager: A recent New York Times/Siena University poll shows former Democratic N.C. Governor Roy Cooper leading Republican Michael Whatley by seven percentage points in the race for an open Senate seat, and a strong finish by Cooper could boost Ager and other downballot Democrats in this purplish state. Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg appeared with Ager at an Asheville campaign rally in May.
Updated August 5, 2026.
Sources: Asheville Citizen Times, Ballotpedia, The Downballot, House Committee on Ethics, The New York Times, Politico
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