Greetings all. Excited to share with you an interview I just completed with one of our top House recruits this cycle - Jamie Ager, a 5th generation farmer, running in NC-11 in Western North Carolina. This is not an easy district - Trump won it by between 9 and 10 points in 2024 - but as you will hear Jamie explain in our conversation:
The Trump Administration and the incumbent Congressman, Chuck Edwards, have failed to deliver the recovery aid promised to Western North Carolina after the devastation of Hurricane Helene
The Republican agenda has been tough on rural North Carolina - higher prices, rising health care costs, shrinking rural health care options, higher utility costs, and now exploding fertilizer costs and higher gas/diesel prices
He is a fifth generation farmer in the district, and comes from a family of well known and committed public servants
As we also heard in our recent conversation with Christina Bohannan running in Iowa’a First District, Jamie talks about how good Trump has been for billionaires and how hard he’s been on farmers and people living in rural areas. Both candidates agreed that Democrats have a unique opportunity this cycle to speak to people who have not been open to hearing from us in recent years, and that we need to be aggressive in making our case in the months ahead.
We are working to close out this first quarter strong and I hope you will consider supporting Jamie directly or giving to our Winning The House campaign that is supporting twelve of the candidates most likely to flip red House seats blue this November. We are within striking distance of new $450,000 goal - do what you can to help us get there today!
As you will see in our discussion, Jamie is a very compelling candidate, well suited to this district, and in a very strong position to flip this red seat blue this November. Please consider supporting him today!
Keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and an election to win this November! - Simon
Bio - Jamie Ager, US House candidate running in NC-11
My name is Jamie Ager. If you don’t know me, I’m a husband, father to three boys, and a proud son of Western North Carolina. Five generations of my family have farmed the land out here in Fairview, Hickory Nut Gap, where I’ve spent my life growing food, building community, and working with people.
I’m a graduate of A.C. Reynolds High School and Warren Wilson College, where I earned degrees in Environmental Studies with a concentration in sustainable agriculture, and History. That’s also where I met Amy, my wife and partner in life and business. Together, we came home to raise a family and built the farm into a sustainable meat company, where today we support 25 employees and work with farmers across the region.
I’m running for North Carolina’s 11th US Congressional District because I care deeply about our future. (Being the father of three boys will have that effect.) I’m concerned about the challenges we face: recovery from Hurricane Helene, affordability for working families, and preserving our environment and culture.
Our next Congress will require leaders who approach complicated questions with curiosity and compassion for our fellow humans. I’ve never been afraid to stand up for what’s right, even when it means speaking out against my own party or extremists.
Farming teaches you to have respect for the land, the animals, and people. It’s a beautiful and—at times—brutal life, where if you screw up, there are real, serious consequences. But I’ve always approached farming with honesty, with curiosity, and the knowledge that we do our best problem-solving when we work together. That people-first approach has worked well out here on the farm, and in my humble opinion, there’s no reason why Congress can’t work the same way.
