Jamie Ager

Jamie Ager is the Democratic nominee running to represent North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, one of the most competitive House races in the country. A fourth-generation farmer from Fairview, Ager is challenging Republican incumbent Chuck Edwards in a district that has shifted toward Democrats in recent elections. He has centered his campaign on Hurricane Helene recovery and affordability, and has been added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" program, which supports candidates in competitive races nationwide.

Ager grew up on Hickory Nut Gap Farm, his family's farm in Fairview. He graduated from A.C. Reynolds High School and earned degrees in Environmental Studies, with a concentration in sustainable agriculture, and History from Warren Wilson College, where he also met his wife, Amy. Together, they built Hickory Nut Gap into a sustainable meat company that today supports 25 employees and works with farmers across the region. Public service runs in his family: his father, John Ager, served in the North Carolina House, and his grandfather, Jamie Clarke, previously represented western North Carolina in the U.S. House.

When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in 2024, Ager opened his farm to neighbors who needed shelter and food, and helped with recovery efforts by hand. That experience shaped his campaign's focus on faster, more responsive government. Ager has out-raised Edwards by more than three-to-one and led all Democratic primary candidates in fundraising, reflecting the momentum behind his campaign to flip one of North Carolina's most competitive congressional seats.

Jamie Ager has pledged to fight for:

• Securing the federal Hurricane Helene recovery funding that western North Carolina communities were promised but have yet to fully receive
• Lowering costs for working families, including housing, healthcare, and utility costs
• Protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and defending Medicare's ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices
• Expanding access to affordable healthcare, including support for a public health insurance option
• Banning members of Congress from stock trading and increasing transparency around federal spending
• Supporting small, entrepreneurial farmers through land access, right-to-repair protections, and stronger agricultural markets
• Expanding rural broadband and cutting red tape so small businesses recovering from Helene can access loans and grants
• Increasing federal funding for firefighter pay and rural fire stations after Helene exposed gaps in emergency response

Across these priorities, Ager has emphasized a pragmatic, community-first approach shaped by his experience running a family farm and business, arguing that western North Carolina needs a representative focused on the region's needs rather than partisan point-scoring.