Democratic nominee Jamie Ager, heir to a political family, faces GOP challenger after attending controversial work college

Jamie Ager, a newcomer from a three-generation political family in Western North Carolina, won the Democratic primary for the 11th District and will contest the general election against Republican Jennifer Balkcom.

The Democratic Party selected Jamie Ager, a member of a three-generation political dynasty, as its candidate for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District. Ager, who runs a sustainable farming and meat-packing operation near Asheville, entered the race with no prior elected experience and defeated four rivals in a primary that some participants alleged received preferential treatment. His family includes grandfather Jamie Clarke, a former U.S. Representative, father John Ager, a former state legislator, and brother Eric Ager, a state House member.

Ager’s college years were spent at Warren Wilson College, a tiny liberal-arts institution that requires all students to perform three hours of daily labor for room and board, a model some Reddit users label a "communist-friendly" work college. A professor from the school, Han Dongping, has contributed columns to China Daily praising the Chinese Communist Party. Ager’s wife, who met him at the college, now serves as its Executive Director of Strategic Ventures with a salary of $136,000. The Democratic campaign is portraying Ager as a centrist, while Republican Jennifer Balkcom was selected on August 10 to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards on the November ballot.