Politics

Green Beret veteran to challenge Edwards in GOP primary

By Bill Moss, Published: October 2, 2025

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, who ousted the incumbent Republican congressman in 2022 and won re-election handily last year, has drawn a primary opponent in the 2026 campaign.

Adam Smith, a U.S. Army Green Beret veteran who declares that he is "a warrior, not a Washington insider," announced his candiacy for Republican nomination in the 11th Congressional District.

A business owner and father raising his daughter in Western North Carolina, Smith said he brings "battle-tested leadership and commitment to self-reliance to the fight for NC-11's conservative values."

His 17-year military career, including multiple global deployments, instilled unbreakable principles: defend freedom, protect the Constitution, and act decisively in crisis, he said in his campaign announcement. After leaving the Army, Smith founded Savage Freedoms Defense to empower veterans and civilians with leadership and preparedness training.

During Hurricane Helene's 2024 devastation, when federal and state responses faltered, Smith launched Savage Freedoms Relief Operations, mobilizing over 150 Special Operations veterans and 3,000 volunteers in the "Redneck Air Force." The operation executed 2,500-plus air sorties and hundreds of ground missions, delivering more than 6 million pounds of supplies to isolated towns throughout Western North Carolina. Raising over $650,000, the team cleared debris, rebuilt infrastructure, and provided medical support. In self-funding trips to Washington, Smith lobbied Congress and met with FEMA's former acting director to slash red tape.

"Politics was never my calling. I'm a warrior, not a Washington insider," he said. "But after a decade of watching liberal Marxism erode our Constitution, flood our borders, and fuel inflation that crushes NC-11 families, I can't stand idle. The assassination of Charlie Kirk, celebrated by so-called 'tolerant' voices in front of his wife and children, was a breaking point. We showed former Gov. Cooper and the Biden Regime resilience when they abandoned us; now, I'll fight for secure borders, energy independence, Second Amendment rights, and an end to woke agendas that dishonor our veterans."

Smith's platform targets reversing inflationary spending, unleashing American energy, enforcing immigration laws, and backing law enforcement while prioritizing WNC's economic recovery.

Filing for the 2026 elections opens Dec. 1. The Republican primary is March 3, with the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.