U.S. House of Representatives (NC-11)

U.S. House District 11 is mostly rural and situated in far western North Carolina. It contains the entirety of Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey counties. It also encompasses northern Polk County.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve two-year terms. They must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. for seven years and live in the state they represent. They cast votes on bills, serve on committees, draft laws and focus on policy issues that are of interest to themselves or their constituents. Other high-level tasks of the U.S. House include funding government programs and oversight of the executive branch.

The key issue in this race is economic recovery from Hurricane Helene of 2024, which affected this Congressional district most.  Of the $20 billion in federal funds requested by Gov. Josh Stein, approximately $8 billion has been paid.

This district leans Republican with a Cook Partisan Index of R+5. The candidates in this race are  Democrat Jamie Ager and Libertarian Travis Groo. Incumbent Chuck Edwards withdrew from the race in early August following pressure from fellow Republicans in the wake of an investigation that he treated female staffers in their 20s inappropriately. 

U.S. House of Representatives (NC-11) Candidates