Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards and Political Scion Jamie Ager Secure Respective Nominations For Western North Carolina Congressional Contest

Last night, Trump-endorsed Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards secured the Republican nomination, and political scion, Jamie Ager, secured the Democrats’ nomination.  

Republican Primary Results:  

• Chuck Edwards: 47,634 (70.09%) 

• Adam R. Smith: 20,332 (29.91%) 

Democrat Primary Results: 

• Jamie Ager: 49,077 (64.69%) 

• Richard Hudspeth: 12,027 (15.85%) 

• Zelda Briarwood: 9,852 (12.99%) 

• Paul Maddox: 3,842 (5.06%) 

• Lee Whipple: 1,071 (1.41%) 

The Democrats’ Primary was significantly more competitive in terms of spending compared to the Republican Primary. As the Blue Ridge Times previously reported, Ager came under attack from his fellow progressives for “selling his soul” to raise money. At the last minute, National Democrats effectively endorsed Ager’s campaign giving him an edge over his competitors, while alienating the progressive voters he needs to win. While this is Ager’s first run for political office, his family has been deeply connected to Democrat politics in Western North Carolina for generations.  

Tim’s Take: This race only becomes competitive in a national environment that is terrible for Republicans. That is not the case currently. The move by national Democrats meddle in the primary will alienate the progressive voters. Ager now need to put in work to bring those voters back into the coalition, instead of spending his time working to engage with the persuadable votes he needs to win.