Washington — CBS News has projected Jamie Ager as the winner of the Democratic primary in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. Ager, a fourth-generation farmer, will face incumbent Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards in November. Edwards has represented the western North Carolina district since 2023.
The Cook Political Report rates the district “likely Republican,” but Democrats see an opening as they try to retake the House. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last week named Ager among a dozen “top-tier” candidates to receive added resources and fundraising support, and she was endorsed by the Blue Dog Coalition’s campaign arm.
In March 2025, a video from a town hall in which angry constituents confronted Edwards went viral, drawing a response from former President Trump, who called the event “‘littered’ with Radical Left Lunatics, mostly Democrats, and all they did was scream, shout and use filthy language.”
No Democrat has held the seat since 2010. The DCCC said the district was one of five that swung most toward Democrats in 2024. Western North Carolina was hit by catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene in 2024, and Edwards has been criticized by both parties for slow delivery of recovery funds.