NC-11: Ager wraps up Dem nomination
Jamie Ager appears to have secured the Democratic nomination for western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District and will likely face incumbent GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards in November.
Ager, a fourth-generation farmer from a political family, received 65% percent of the vote in unofficial results. He defeated family physician Richard Hudspeth with 16%, mental health professional Zelda Briarwood with 13%, cancer researcher Paul Maddox with 5% and civil engineer Lee Whipple with 1%.
“This is a campaign for everyone, Democrat, Republican, or Independent,” Ager said in a statement. “Together, we’re going to bring home the billions of dollars of Helene recovery funding that Chuck Edwards won’t, we’re going to build an economy that supports our working families, and we’re going to fix the broken, corrupt system in Washington so that politicians will go to DC to serve the people, not to get rich.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Ager to its “Red to Blue” program last week, which targets U.S. House seats the group believes could flip from Republican to Democratic with more resources, training and fundraising support. It’s unclear how much DCCC plans to invest in the November contest.
https://ncnewsline.com/2026/03/03/ager-wraps-up-dem-nomination-in-nc-11-buckhout-takes-nc-01-republican-primary/