From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — On the first day (Dec. 1) to file to run for political office, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-Flat Rock, filed to run for re-election in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, his team announced in a Dec. 1 news release.

Candidates have until Dec. 19 to file for a place on the ballot.

At least one Republican will challenge Edwards in the party primary on March 3 — Adam R. Smith, who also filed on Dec. 1.

Smith, who lives in the Black Mountain area, is a former U.S. Army Green Beret.

Smith’s website noted that his biggest issues in Western North Carolina are the economy, national security and immigration.

Meanwhile, a number of Democratic candidates have said they will be running for Edwards’ seat.

Indeed, Democrat Jamie Ager, 47, a fourth-generation farmer who is the CEO at family-owned Chestnut Gap Farm and meat company in Fairview, also filed his candidacy to run against Edwards on Dec. 1, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. 

Ager previously has said that he hopes to deliver “working-class roots” to the Democratic Party.

Ager launched his campaign on July 31, pledging to focus on tackling increasing costs, fighting cuts to health care coverage, and getting WNC the funds that he said it needs to recover from Tropical Storm Helene.

Meanwhile, Edwards is seeking his third term in Congress. He has represented the 11th Congressional District, which covers much of Western North Carolina, since 2023. He beat incumbent Madison Cawthorn in the 2022 Republican primary and was re-elected in 2024.

In his news release, Edwards asserted. “In Congress, I’ve fought to ensure Washington doesn’t forget our largest natural disaster, rein in reckless spending, grow jobs, cut red tape for small businesses, and protect our mountain way of life. 

“I’ve backed our police, secured historic investment in our local infrastructure, stood firmly for our veterans, and worked to ensure that Washington respects the values we live by here in Western North Carolina.”

President Donald Trump endorsed Edwards, 65, in a social media post on Oct. 25, the Hendersonville Times-News reported.

In a post on Truth Social reposted to X, formerly Twitter, Trump stated the following: 

“Congressman Chuck Edwards is a MAGA Warrior who is doing a fantastic job.

“Chuck Edwards has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Edwards’ candidate filing followed a weekend of protests outside an Edwards-owned McDonald’s restaurant on 4 Seasons Boulevard in Hendersonville.

“The protests at McDonald’s were organized by a coalition called the Asheville Fights Back Network in response to his vote in favor of a Republican budget bill that included cuts to federal assistance programs — namely SNAP, Medicaid and subsidies for Affordable Care Act healthcare — while increasing funding for immigration enforcement,” the HT-N noted.

Edwards was first appointed to the North Carolina Senate in 2016 — and was re-elected in 2018 and 2020.