Conversation with Jamie Ager (NC-11)

I can’t wait for you to hear from our next candidate, Jamie Ager! Jamie Ager won his primary in North Carolina on March 3rd and is running to flip NC-11 blue in November. Watch our conversation below:

Jamie Ager is a fourth-generation farmer from Western North Carolina. There is no doubt that he has deep roots in the community.

His great-grandfather was a Presbyterian minister, and he started a farmers’ co-op right in the very mountains Jamie is looking to represent in Congress.

For the past 25 years, Jamie and his wife have been building a grass-fed beef company and farming operation. “It’s been a real journey”. His products are sold in stores like this little-known place, Whole Foods!

Jamie built his company in Asheville, the district’s largest city.

His district, NC-11, encompasses the sixteen westernmost counties of North Carolina – forests, farmland, the Smoky Mountain National Park, and a Cherokee reservation.

“I’ve explored the whole region over the past nine months now that I’ve been running for Congress, I’m more in love with western North Carolina than I ever have been, because I’m really getting to know these small towns and the small businesses in these communities, a lot of the farmers all over.”

I could tell from our conversation that Western North Carolina means the world to Jamie. He could not speak any higher of the people, the landscape, the towns, and the resources.

But he also spoke of the difficult times his community has faced in recent years – you may remember Hurricane Helene and the destructive floods it brought to North Carolina in 2024.

To date, NC has received only about $60 billion, or only 15% of the federal funds allocated to it.

According to Jamie, his Republican Congressman, Chuck Edwards, was nowhere to be found while his district was suffering.

“He had all the power in Washington to get the money for us, and he just didn’t do it. And so, to me, that was a failure of leadership on that level.

And not only that, but he didn’t really show up here in the community very much. To me, part of being a leader is you’ve got to give people a hug who’ve lost a loved one.”

After that devastating event, Jamie promised he would be a leader who always shows up – sometimes even gets yelled at, if that’s what the people need.

“I could see that this district was a difficult path when we first started looking at it. I was frustrated by politics generally. I felt like politics was not working well.”

“I looked around and said, ‘You know, you can complain about it, or you can do something about it.’”

Jamie is in a unique position: he’s a fourth-generation Western North Carolinian, a neighbor, an entrepreneur, a local basketball coach, and a farmer. He’s been a leader in this community for a long time, and he’s in a great position to win!!

He has made his campaign local, which is exactly what the people in his district need to hear and see from their Representative. Jamie is focused on:

• Making the cost of living more affordable for his neighbors

• Farmland preservation

• Preserving public lands, national forests & parks.

Jamie’s been crushing it and building a strong campaign that he’ll be able to compete and ultimately win in November.

“I’m a farmer, so I’m familiar with hard work… and if we’re getting into this, we’re going to be ALL into it.”

Jamie has been criss-crossing his district every single week – introducing himself to voters at their doors and local events. He had been to three of his counties in just the week we spoke to him.

Meanwhile, his current Representative, Chuck Edwards, is distracted by a Congressional investigation into his inappropriate relationships with his staff members.

Jamie says he’s open to a debate: we can always make a better decision, but we need all of the ideas on the table, he says. We have to be ambitious and go and solve the big, hard problems our country is facing right now.

“We’ve got to make sure that our government works for everyday people and they feel like it does.”

And the everyday people of Western North Carolina are worried about a couple of things right now: affordability and the high cost of living, access to high-quality, affordable health care, and child care.

“We definitely went the wrong direction with the expiration of those tax subsidies (my bill for a three-year extension of the ACA tax credits that passed the House in January), and that it’s just right on the back of everyday working people. And to me that’s disappointing.”

Together, we can elect Jamie Ager and bring that change to NC-11. If you want to help him win his race in November:

• Visit his website at agerforcongress.com

• Make a donation to support his election>>>

• Sign up to volunteer: https://agerforcongress.com/volunteer

And if you go and visit NC-11, please let us know: Is Jamie correct? Is NC-11 the most gorgeous Congressional district in the country? Report back!!

Thank you, Jamie, for the fantastic conversation.

More soon!

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood
DCCC Red-to-Blue Co-Chair

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