With just over two months until Election Day, candidates are making their cases to voters across North Carolina.
In western North Carolina, Democrat Jamie Ager seeks to end a nearly decade-and-a-half losing streak for his party in the 11th Congressional District.
At an Aug. 29 event at Hickory Nut Gap—the farm he has owned and operated with his wife, Amy, for 25 years—supporters who spoke with Cardinal & Pine were filled with optimism.
“He feels like a neighbor. This farm provides food for our school down the road, FernLeaf Community Charter School,” Buncombe County resident Chris Hodges said. “He feels like a guy down the road. He doesn’t feel like a politician. He feels like he cares because he’s got a dog in the fight.”
The event featured barn dancing, in which Ager himself participated, musical performances, and many supporters donning “Jamie Ager for US Congress” hats.
Ager, a first-time candidate, comes from a family with a history of public service in the region. His grandfather, Jamie Clarke, represented the district in Congress in the 1980s and 90s, while his father and brother have both served in the North Carolina General Assembly.
Currently, Sabato’s Crystal Ball ranks the race between Ager and Republican Jennifer Balkcom as just one of 22 “toss-up” Congressional seats nationwide.
“We know that our mountains are sacred and special, and this year, the cool thing is the whole country knows it too,” Hendersonville City Council member Gina Baxter, who introduced Ager to a crowd of supporters, said.
What Democrats had to say about Ager and the campaign
At the official party event, Ager’s supporters expressed optimism about his campaign.
“Jamie will bring a fresh perspective, a mountain perspective, and a businessman perspective. Somebody that really cares about the people here of western North Carolina,” Henderson County resident Vince DeJoy said.
Even in ruby red Cherokee County, where President Donald Trump won nearly 78% of the vote in 2024, county Democratic Party Chair Diane Snyder is optimistic about Ager’s chances to win the race against Balkcom.
“Jamie is one big reason. He is every man’s man. He doesn’t speak Democrat. He speaks farmer. He speaks North Carolinian,” she said.
Snyder said voters across party lines are frustrated about the economy.
“I can talk to anybody—Republican, unaffiliated—and we all feel the same. Our dollars aren’t going very far…if you want something to change, something has to change,” she said.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Aug. 28-31 found that Trump’s approval rating is just 33%. Just 22% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while 71% disapproved. Forty-seven percent of all respondents said the cost of living was the most important issue for them in the midterms.
To win the R+5 district, where partisan makeup favors Republicans, Ager will have to convince some people who have cast ballots for Republicans in the past.
“We’re running a campaign on issues that aren’t partisan. We need to get Helene recovery money. We need to make the cost of living work for young folks in our community, and we need to make sure that corruption isn’t how you win in politics in Washington, DC,” Ager told Cardinal & Pine. “I just hear over and over again that those are very frustrating for people, regardless of political party.”
In what is expected to be a close election, young voters could prove to be a pivotal voting bloc. Each year, around 10,000 people turn 18 in each congressional district, and thus are able to cast their ballots for the first time.
Seth Digh, the president of the Western Carolina University Democrats, hopes young voters make their voices heard this fall.
”All you gotta do is show up and show out and vote in November,” he said.
Two years removed from Hurricane Helene, the region still faces a steep recovery from the storm’s impact. The damage from Helene is estimated to have been around $60 billion. To date, the federal government has committed to paying only 14% of that price tag.
“ I was a freshman at Western when Hurricane Helene happened, and since then we’ve witnessed the lack of action, the lack of funding, and all the need that this area has,” Digh said.
