From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Three candidates in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District recently called out the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for backing another contender in the race, Yahoo News reported on Feb. 26.

The DCCC announced Feb. 23 that it was adding Jamie Ager to its “Red to Blue” program, which targets U.S. House seats the group believes could flip from Republican to Democratic with more resources, training and fundraising support. There are 12 candidates in the first round of the initiative. 

Republicans currently hold a 218-214 majority in the House, with three vacant seats. 

But a coalition of 17 political hopefuls across the country, each running in a primary against a DCCC-backed candidate, are criticizing the group for what they say is interference early on in the election cycle. 

“Such early institutional backing also carries significant influence in the primary process — often shaping fundraising pipelines, access, and perceived viability before voters have had the opportunity to evaluate the full field,” the coalition wrote in a Feb. 24 letter.

“Across the country, Democratic candidates are raising concerns about a growing pattern of early intervention in primary elections from the DCCC — a trend they say risks weakening voter trust and diminishing the role of voters in selecting their own nominees,” the letter continued.

NC-11 candidates, who signed the letter, included mental health professional Zelda Briarwood, family physician Richard Hudspeth and cancer researcher Paul Maddox.

Ager, a fourth-generation farmer who comes from a political family, has raised more money than the rest of his opponents combined. Still, the race isn’t over yet. The eventual nominee in the Western North Carolina district will face incumbent GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards in November. 

Regarding Ager, AI Overview stated on March 14 that “he is positioned by the party as a high-reward candidate capable of flipping a conservative-leaning seat by leveraging his image as a local, practical business owner rather than a partisan politician.”