Jamie Ager at HCDP Convention: Henderson County Is Ground Zero

In a high-energy keynote address, Jamie Ager fired up the crowd at HCDP’s March 28 convention, telling them he sees Henderson County as “ground zero” in his campaign to unseat GOP MAGA congressman Chuck Edwards.

Ager said his campaign will focus on three issues—Helene recovery, improving economic conditions for the working class, and rebuilding a trust-worthy government. Specifically, he addressed the issues of healthcare, stock trading by members of congress, immigration, and campaign finance reform.   

Watch his speech on YouTube or keep reading for highlights!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDAVECWmOK8

ON HELENE RECOVERY

“We all took a big hit here in Western North Carolina.  That storm damage was around $60 Billion and we had politicians—Chuck Edwards and Donald Trump—show up in Swannanoa and promise they were going to get the money for that storm and here we are 18 months later with less than 15 percent of those funds coming into these communities….If you have all the levers of power in Washington and you represent Western North Carolina and you can’t get the money flowing here in Western North Carolina, that is a failure in leadership and we’re going to hold Chuck Edwards responsible for that every single day for the next seven months.”

“Part of what leadership is is showing up in the community, being available for people….You don’t go hide behind social media and tele-town halls.  You lean in and you have a conversation.  You be a human who’s available to people and that’s what I’m going to do when I’m in the US Congress next year.”

ON THE ECONOMY & CORRUPTION

“We have to fix our healthcare system so it’s not the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in this country….When you’re unable to feel like you can’t get ahead…when you’re working hard, playing by the rules and doing all the things and you still can’t pay off your credit card debt, you still can’t pay off your college loans, you start to feel discouraged and start to feel the system doesn’t work for you.  And then you look at Washington and you see Congressmen and women trading stocks and turning into billionaires.  We’ve got to ban stock trading for members of Congress.  That’s unacceptable.  And this is bipartisan….We’ve got to get rid of Citizens United.  We’ve got to have campaign finance reform so that everyday people feel like their voice is what matters.”

ON HIS CONNECTION TO WNC

Note: Ager’s great grandparents came to WNC with the Presbyterian church and were active in starting farmers’ cooperatives and traveling all over the region. A graduate of Warren Wilson College, he is a fourth generation WNC farmer and built a sustainable agriculture business that supports local farmers and employees.  Part of his farm is in Henderson County, where he has multiple connections in the agricultural community. 

“I’m a child of these mountains.  I grew up here.  I’ve lived here all my life.  I love the mountains, I love the rivers, the creeks, the small towns, the small businesses that kint these communities together….When people ask ‘What can I do’? I say get involved in your local community, be friends with people you disagree with and learn how to solve problems together….This campaign that we’re running right now is all about the one word in the job description—the key word—which is ‘representative.’ When I’m in congress I’m going to represent all the people of Western North Carolina.”

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HENDERSON COUNTY

“I feel more confident than ever that we’re going to beat Chuck Edwards in November. This is my fifth day in a row here in Henderson County, and Henderson County might be ground zero of this campaign because Henderson County is moving fast towards Democrats.  You guys are going to make it happen because you’re the workhorses….I was talking to some people last week and they said, ‘you’re showing up in Henderson County a lot’ and I said we’re coming right for him, right here in his home!”

More sound bites:

While introducing Ager, Fletcher Mayor Preston Blakely explained why he is running a vigorous campaign even though he is unopposed:

“In 2021 when I ran, we had the largest turnout in Fletcher history.  It was a big deal. This time around, I’m running unopposed.  But nevertheless, I still want to go out there and do that same work that I did before.  I want to support these candidates and I want to drive turnout as high as we can get it in Fletcher to help Democrats up and down the ballot.”

In her concluding remarks, HCDP Chair Linda Ford encouraged everyone to engage with voters:

“We need everyone we can find to be out there talking to voters. The most powerful persuasion technique is a person-to-person conversation with someone you know and trust.”

And First Vice Chair Drake English echoed Ager’s advice to connect on a human level:

“It’s about knowing your neighbor, going out and talking to people.  It’s about relating  to these people who are a piece of us—they live around the corner, our kids go to the same school.  It’s one of those things that I am very passionate about…that one-on-one looking-in-somebody’s-eyes, trusting them, learning who they are.  They went through Helene like the rest of us.  We have these things in common that we can all talk about.”

“We have to engage everybody that we can—it’s activating all these people who don’t vote in midterms.  I don’t need (people) to become Democrats.  I need (people) to understand that the Democratic Party is (the) viable option to protect Democracy on November 3.”