Traditional Republican-leaning seat in western North Carolina is up for grabs as poll finds Democrat leading the race

[Tonk]

North Carolina’s 11th district is up for grabs between incumbent Republican Chuck Edwards and Democratic contender Jamie Ager, who edges out Edwards by one point in a December poll. Importantly, 10% of the district is undecided between the two. The district votes MAGA, as evidenced by previous representatives such as traitor Mark Meadows and deeply troubled RWNJ Madison Cawthorn. The heavily democratic Cities of Asheville and Boone keep the district somewhat competitive, keeping Maga’s win margin around 10%.

Western North Carolina is rural Appalachia, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The big city is Asheville, with a population of approximately 100,000. If Democrats can make inroads into rural communities, Democrats have a chance of turning the seat blue. It is the type of district that could be a part of a blue wave securing a Democratic majority in the House. With popular former democratic Governor Roy Cooper running for Senate, NC can deliver victories in both chambers.

From Newsweek:

The internal poll conducted by Impact Research and first shared with Newsweek showed Ager with a single-point lead over Edwards. It showed 45 percent of respondents leaning toward Ager, while 44 percent backed Edwards; 10 percent were undecided. On an informed ballot, when short biographies on each candidate were read, Ager led by seven points (49 percent to 42 percent).

It surveyed 500 likely voters from December 15-17 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. No other polling has been made public on the race.

Ager is the grandson of former Representative James Clarke, a Democrat who represented the district more than 30 years ago.

The district comprises North Carolina’s western region. Its rural areas are more conservative, but Asheville has kept Republicans to more narrow victories in the district. It backed President Donald Trump by just under 10 percentage points in the 2024 presidential race.