In just over a week, Election Day will be over. Millions of hours of work have gone into races nationwide. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the eyes of the nation will be on western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, where Democrat Jamie Ager faces Republican state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom.
Nicole Hinebaugh and Samantha Cannon, members of the nonpartisan organization We the Fighters, spoke with Cardinal & Pine about their conversations with voters across the district, where concerns about the cost of living, healthcare, and political corruption are shaping the election—and where many voters are still learning about the candidates.
Both parties face challenges as the 2026 campaign enters its final days.
For Democrats, this is a seat they haven’t won since 2010, when former Rep. Heath Shuler was elected to his final term in the House.
While Republicans have comfortably won races in the district for the last decade-and-a-half, outgoing Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped out of the race in early August when faced with censure by Congress due to accusations of inappropriate conduct towards female staffers. He has denied any wrongdoing.
With less than three months until Election Day at the time, Republicans in the district selected Balkcom days later to replace Edwards on the ballot.
For much of the campaign, the Cook Political Report, an election forecaster, rated the race a “Toss Up.” The group currently rates the race as “Lean Democratic,” in Ager’s favor.
In the district, registered Democrats are voting at an 11% higher rate than registered Republicans as of Oct. 26.
Who is ‘We the Fighters’ talking to in NC-11?
“Who we’re targeting specifically with We the Fighters is unaffiliated voters, people who do not typically vote in elections,” Cannon said.
As of Monday, Oct. 26, voters who vote less frequently, also known as “low-propensity” voters, are trending more Democratic in early voting across North Carolina and in the 11th District.
In North Carolina’s 100 counties, only Tyrrell County has more low-propensity Republicans turning out to vote.
In the 11th Congressional District, low-propensity registered Democrats are turning out at a rate 11.8% higher than that of registered Republicans.
While voters may be registered with a certain political party, it doesn’t mean they voted for all of that party’s candidates.
What matters most to NC-11 voters this year?
For voters across the region, Hinebaugh and Cannon say increased costs, healthcare, and corruption are at the top of voters’ minds.
“What people have been expressing to us is the concern around the impacts they’ve seen already related to healthcare and rising premium prices for Medicare in particular. We hear that quite a lot,” Hinebaugh said.
Across the political spectrum, a recent Associated Press poll found 84% of voters said cost of living is one of their top issues, while 85% said the same about the economy, including 76% of Republicans.
“People are really concerned about corruption. That’s something that we hear quite a bit,” Hinebaugh said.
The president, she said, came into office promising to lower the high cost of goods and services such as groceries and gasoline.
“People voted for him thinking that that was going to be the case, or hoping that was going to be the case, and that’s not exactly what they’ve been experiencing,” she said.
Since Feb. 28, when President Trump decided to go to war against Iran, rising gas prices have become an acute concern for many voters.
As of Oct. 26, regular gasoline in North Carolina averaged $3.48 a gallon, up from $2.77 a year ago. Diesel fuel averaged $5.54 per gallon, up from $3.48 a year earlier.
Moody’s Analytics estimates that the war has cost the average American household $2,000 as of mid-October.
In her interviews with voters, Hinebaugh has found little support for the war.
“I have not talked to one single person who has been in favor of that war,” Hinebaugh said.
How do voters feel about Ager and Balkcom?
Many voters are still learning about both Ager and Balkcom, Cannon said.
“They say, ‘I’ve seen the commercials.’ And that’s typically where their knowledge ends. And so it is a lot of informing people about who Jamie Ager is and who Jennifer Balkcom is,” she said.
Ager’s website lists information about him and his policy priorities. By contrast, Balkcom’s website has an “About Me” introduction and options to sign up for emails or volunteer for her campaign, but it does not list specific policy positions.
“A lot of people are not aware of Jennifer Balkcom,” Cannon said.
Overall, Cannon said many of the people she, Hinebaugh, and the ‘We the Fighters’ team have contacted by phone or in-person plan to vote in this year’s election, and that overall enthusiasm about the election is high.
“I think we are excited over here in North Carolina District 11, no matter where it falls. I think people are just passionate about voting and making a difference,” she said.
