A tale of two farmers: Ager, Balkcom compete for NC-11 seat

ASHEVILLE — About 3,000 people gathered at Asheville Yards last week for a concert rally with Jamie Ager, who’s running against GOP state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. The contest could play a pivotal role in the control of the U.S. House. 

Wearing trucker hats, shirts, or buttons in the campaign’s signature kelly green saying “Ager for U.S. Congress,” attendees encouraged each other to knock on doors and work the polls. Others waved signs claiming, “I’m a mountain Democrat and proud of it.”

The Cook Political Report rates the seat as “toss up,” and Democrats see Ager as their best chance to win in the district, which has been reliably red for most of the past 35 years.

“Jamie’s a great guy,” Patricia Derrough said. “He is honest, hardworking, and has good values. Just what Western North Carolina needs by working for all the people, not just the wealthy.”

Derrough says she’s known the Ager family her entire life. Her ancestors moved to Western North Carolina in the 1700s; Ager’s came later. His great-grandparents moved to Fairview in 1916, where the family has been ever since.

“They used to have square dances regularly. Everybody in town went,” Derrough said.

Ager’s grandfather, Jamie Clarke, represented NC-11 in Congress. His older brother Eric serves in the North Carolina House, in the same seat their father John once held.

As a fourth-generation farmer, Ager and his wife sell grassfed beef, pastured pork, and fresh eggs to grocery stores, restaurants, and individual customers. They also host events at Hickory Nut Gap Farm — along with barn dances, there’s stargazing, meditation, and hayrides.

“My boys drive the tractors,” Ager said with a smile, referring to his sons Cyrus, Nolin, and Levi. “It’s a good job for them, to give a little hayride and give those people a little perspective on growing up here on the farm.”

But Ager’s rival also has deep roots in Western North Carolinian, where her family has lived for eight generations. Balkcom grew up on her family’s apple farm in Henderson County and is well known in her community, where she’s a mortgage loan officer. 

The campaign trail

NC-11 is geographically vast, spanning 16 counties and about 6,200 square miles. The mountain terrain means many routes contain switchbacks or tunnels, requiring slower speeds. 

President Donald Trump has handily won the district three times. It has elected only one Democrat, Heath Shuler, to Congress since 1991. Many thought this year would be no different. 

In August, incumbent GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped his bid for reelection, after reports of inappropriate conduct. The U.S. House voted to censure him in September. 

The North Carolina Republican Party selected Balkcom as his replacement, leaving her with roughly three months to campaign. 

Ager, on the other hand, launched his campaign about 18 months ago. Since then, he’s traveled extensively across Western North Carolina, speaking with voters about their priorities. He’s held events from Cherokee to Burnsville to Hendersonville. 

“I’ve met so many wonderful people that are too busy to worry about politics because they’re too worried about how to make payroll on Friday afternoon,” Ager said. “One thing I hear over and over again is that people in this country are sick and tired of partisan politics, and we need leaders in this country who are going to work hard for the people in our community.”

Goals for Washington

Ager said his top priority in Congress would be securing funding for Hurricane Helene relief. 

At Hickory Nut Gap, the storm knocked out the power and toppled trees. The farm typically earns more than half of its revenue during harvest season, and with local restaurants closed, it temporarily lost some of its biggest customers. 

“We were devastated, and all we knew to do was get chainsaws out, start sawing our way out, checking on neighbors, doing everything everybody did here in Western North Carolina at that time,” Ager said. “We came together to put ourselves back together and do everything we can, and I think we need some of that kind of spirit up in Washington, D.C.”

Like Ager, Balkcom has been active in Helene relief and recovery efforts. She helped secure funds at the state level and wants to do the same in Congress. 

A member of the state legislature since 2023, her primary accomplishment so far has been sponsoring a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports.

“I want to work hard for the people that live here, and that’s what we were voted in to do. I want to do that in Washington, just like I have in Raleigh,” Balkcom told Spectrum News. “I’ve been serving in the General Assembly, helping farmers for the last four years.”

She’s gotten funding from national Republican House leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Balkcom also received donations from most of the GOP members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and some of her state House colleagues. 

But she’s still building name recognition across the sprawling district. Her campaign website reveals almost nothing about her policy priorities. 

And when Spectrum News asked Balkcom if she thought Edwards should resign from Congress, she took a lengthy pause before saying she wasn’t sure. She gave similar answers to other questions.

Balkcom declined to be interviewed for this story.

“It’s certainly not ideal,” political scientist David McLennan said. “She’s had some interviews that have shown a bit of inexperience. When you have a real short window of opportunity, it makes it difficult to campaign.”

Homegrown candidates

Before Edwards, Republicans Madison Cawthorn and Mark Meadows held the seat. Each left office under a cloud. It’s left Western North Carolinians hungry for change, Democrats say. 

Ager tells voters he wants to lower the cost of living and remove corruption from politics by overturning Citizens United and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. 

“The whole place looks like a big old coin-operated machine. If you don’t have any money to put into that machine, you don’t get any favors out of that machine,” he said. “We need somebody who’s going to fight for the people here in Western North Carolina.”

Last month, both candidates debuted ads aiming to appeal to the same mountain community. 

Ager’s ad, titled “Barn Dance,” featured live music as he rallied his supporters at one of his events. 

“Nobody cares what politics you are when you’re in the middle of a square dance,” Ager told NC Newsline. 

Balkcom aired an ad, titled “Mom,” where she talks about her mother teaching her to be strong.

“When someone broke into her house, she shot them,” Balkcom said in the video.

The national political scene

Republicans are facing a tricky political climate amid rising costs across the board and declining approval ratings for President Donald Trump. 

Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper has consistently polled ahead of former Republican National Committee and NCGOP chair Michael Whatley in the contest for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat. National fundraising groups have temporarily paused spending on campaign ads for the race, focusing on other states instead. 

NC Republicans Tillis, Moore prepare for GOP losses in upcoming election

Republicans currently hold a 218-212 majority in the U.S. House, with four vacancies and one independent caucusing with the GOP. 

The GOP has deployed Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other Republicans to North Carolina to stump for candidates like Whatley and Balkcom. Vance is scheduled to hold a rally in Hendersonville Monday. 

Even so, despite the district’s newly competitive nature, not all residents have been following politics closely. Some don’t get to know the candidates until they head to the polls.  

“It’s really dependent in part on the Democratic wave, and whether it’ll be a ripple or a tsunami, it’s impossible to tell right now,” McLennan said. “The next few weeks and overall turnout are going to be very important.”