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Edwards, Ager wins set up closely watched battle for 11th District seat

By Bill Moss, Published: March 4, 2026

Serving up what is likely to be one of two closely watched congressional contests in the state, incumbent Chuck Edwards trounced challenger Adam R. Smith to take the Republican nomination while Buncombe County cattle farmer Jamie Ager cruised past Richard Hudspeth, a physician and retired CEO of Blue Ridge Health, and three others, winning with 65 percent of the vote.

The grandson of former U.S. Rep. Jamie Clarke, Ager has drawn support from national Democrats who see the 11th Congressional District as a potentially winnable seat in November while Edwards faces headwinds caused by the federal performance in delivering to Hurricane Helene relief and President Trump's falling popularity.

Reporting in January on an Impact Research poll that showed Ager edging Edwards by a point, 45-44, Newsweek quoted a professor of political science at North Carolina State University, Steven Greene, who suggested the seat could be in play. 

The 11th District told Newsweek is “exactly the type of district you should expect Democrats to be making a strong play for in 2026," Greene said.

“This latest polling proves what we’ve known all along," Ager's campaign told Newsweek, "that the voters of Western North Carolina trust and want Jamie Ager as their representative in Congress. Jamie is focused on being a voice for everyone in NC-11 to help us rebuild from Helene, lower costs for families, support our rural economy, and expand access to healthcare."

Edwards’s campaign also responded.

"At this point in time in the election process, no one should be surprised that the DCCC will push a polling narrative designed more to benefit their fundraising than to reflect the true political environment," the campaign told the news magazine. "Jamie Ager is a product of the DC Democratic establishment and Congressman Edwards looks forward to a spirited campaign that most certainly highlights Jamie Ager radical agenda for the people of western North Carolina."