Politics

Ager taps national network of donors for campaign haul

Chart shows cash on hand for candidates in the 11th Congressional District election. [OPENSECRETS.ORG]

By Bill Moss, Published: May 12, 2026

Democratic nominee Jamie Ager looks to be on strong financial footing as the campaign for the 11th Congressional District seat enters the summer, outraising incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards and emerging from the first quarter with more cash on hand.

It’s one more sign that the congressional race in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina is one to watch as the Democratic Party tries to wrest control of the House from the GOP.

While Edwards’s donors lean toward loyal Republican supporters in Western North Carolina and defense contractors and lobbying firms in Washington, Ager has benefited from a national network of wealthy donors — including hedge fund billionaires, cryptocurrency traders and a Murdoch scion — who have bought into the national party’s call to help flip the NC 11th.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed Ager even before the March 3 Democratic primary and has promoted the fourth-generation Fairview farmer in its “Red to Blue” campaign to unseat vulnerable Republicans. 

“The political environment could make things tougher for Edwards,” Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “The president’s party tends to lose support in midterm elections, which could negate the baseline advantage he would normally have in the 11th.”

Although the GOP nominee here remains a plus-5 favorite, according to the Cook Political Report, the 11th is the only Republican-held congressional district in North Carolina to be ratcheted down to “likely” Republican from “solid.” And in the past weeks, media in Washington and the N.C. mountains have reported that Edwards faces a House ethics investigation for sexual harassment or inappropriate relationships with female subordinates.

“I welcome any investigation, given the professionalism my staff has demonstrated and my commitment to serving the people of Western NC,” Edwards responded in a statement to Axios, the political website that first broke the story. “Given the current political environment we are facing in our nation, it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”

Only five districts in the country have drifted leftward more than the NC11, the DCCC says, making the seat a prime pickup target in the Nov. 3 election.

Who gave the most?

Ager raised $1.6 million in the first quarter and finished with more than $1 million cash on hand, beating Edwards’s haul of $785,000 and $487,000 in cash. Ager’s report showed 59 donors who gave $3,500 versus 11 for Edwards.

Among Ager’s large donors were:

• Kathryn and James Murdoch. The son of Rupert Murdoch and a former CEO of 21st Century Fox, James resigned from the News Corp. board in July 2020 citing disagreements over editorial content — explicitly criticizing the company’s denial of climate change. James and Kathryn each donated $615,000 to the Biden campaign in 2020. In September 2024 James was among 88 corporate leaders to sign an open letter endorsing Kamala Harris.
• Baupost Group. CEO and founder Seth Klarman of the Boston-based private hedge fund manager had been the single largest Republican donor in New England before switching parties over concerns about Trump and democracy. “For the good of the country, the Democrats must take back one or both houses of Congress,” he has said.

• Jane Street, a New York-based quantitative proprietary trading firm and global liquidity provider famed for hitting investment returns of 70 percent in cryptocurrency trading and other markets.

Other large donors to the Democratic nominee include Michael Novogratz, founder of cryptocurrency financial services firm Galaxy Digital, a prominent supporter of Democratic causes; Q Prime, a large music management company that has represented Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Def Leppard, Muse, Cage the Elephant, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Madonna; and Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm.

Edwards received his biggest individual donations from:

• Greg Beam, Henderson County Republican Party chair, retired tech consultant. Beam and his wife, Lisa, each gave the $3,500 maximum.
• Mark Bellissimo, CEO of a modular construction company, owner of Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Florida and the Colorado Horse Park.
• Tore’s Home owner Tore Borhaug, operator of assisted living facilities in Brevard and Hendersonville.
• Wheels Contracting, a third-generation family-owned construction company based in Newland.
• Biltmore Farms, developer of commercial real estate, homes and master planned communities. President/CEO is John “Jack” Cecil, great-grandson of George W. Vanderbilt, builder of the Biltmore house.
• Blue Force Gear Inc., military tactical equipment maker based in Georgia.
• C2 Strategies, Washington lobbying firm specializing in defense, aerospace and federal contracting.
• Cross Potomac Consulting, lobbying firm with defense contractor clients.
• Powers Great American Midways, family-operated traveling carnival midway company that provides the midway at the North Carolina State Fair.

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The Lightning used the Claude artificial intelligence service to identify and segregate $3,500 donors to the Ager and Edwards campaigns.