Democratic candidate flips NC congressional seat for first time in 16 years

Esther Frances, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Nov 3, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

RALEIGH, N.C. — Democrat Jamie Ager secured a win Tuesday evening over Republican Jennifer Balkcom to represent Western North Carolina in Congress, flipping a seat in the U.S. House that has long belonged to the GOP.

The Associated Press called the race for Ager just before 9 p.m. EST.

Both candidates boasted their farming backgrounds to voters in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, which includes Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Transylvania counties. A Democrat has not been elected to the seat since Heath Shuler in 2010.

In a statement, Ager said he was “honored to have our neighbors’ confidence to represent them in Congress.”

“This is my promise to you as your next Congressman: I’m going to go up to Washington, DC, and fight like hell to make sure each and every one of us has that fair chance,” he wrote. “I’m going to fight for better wages, lower costs, quality healthcare, and the Helene recovery funding we still need.”

Balkcom posted to social media shortly before 9:30 p.m. and said she plans to run again in 2028.

“And while it isn’t the outcome we wanted, I am proud of the campaign we were able to mount in such a short span of time in one of the worst political environments in modern history,” she wrote. “I’m grateful to everyone who worked so hard to build this movement from scratch in just a few months, and who proved tonight that this district still wants tough mountain leadership.”

Winning the seat long held by Republicans will help Democrats in their quest to regain control of Congress. Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, issued a statement congratulating Ager and “every organizer who helped flip this seat from red to blue.”

“As a fourth-generation farmer and an entrepreneur, Jamie knows firsthand how desperate North Carolina families are for a leader who will put their needs first and work to improve their lives. In Congress,” Martin said.

Ager’s grandfather, James McClure Clarke, held the same seat starting in the 1980s.

Balkcom works in banking and is serving her second term in the state House. Throughout her campaign, she has advocated for protecting farmland and continuing Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.

Ager, a farmer, has also campaigned on distributing Helene funding. He has advocated for increasing access to affordable healthcare and strengthening campaign finance laws and disclosures.

Balkcom replaced Republican congressman Chuck Edwards on the ballot in August after the U.S. House Committee on Ethics found evidence that Edwards had sexually harassed two female staff members, The News & Observer previously reported.

_____