Standing Room Only at Henderson County’s NC11 Candidates Forum

Despite an approaching winter storm, the third-floor meeting room of the Historic Henderson County Courthouse quickly filled to capacity for HCDP's January 24^th NC11 Democratic Candidates Forum.

The event was a chance to hear directly from the five candidates running to represent WNC in Washington. While each candidate had a distinct message, all five were united in calling out the multiple ways incumbent Chuck Edwards has failed Western North Carolina, especially regarding Helene recovery. They were equally united in stressing that healthcare, public education and the local economy have fundamental problems that all the people of WNC want to see addressed.

Notes: A few key quotes from each candidate are below, appearing in the order they were introduced at the forum, but to fully understand their positions and ideas, please watch the entire video above.  Hearing the candidates articulate their positions is the best way to choose the one you feel will best represent you and who you think will have the best chance of winning this important race. 

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Zelda Briarwood is a mental health professional from Canton who emphasized her strong ties to the working class. 

“I'm not going to sit here and wait for trickledown economics to happen,” she said. “And we have to address the elephant in the room….We have to tax billionaires and corporations.”

Answering a question on healthcare, Zelda noted that there are many successful models for universal healthcare. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel….And I cannot begin to tell you how infuriating it is to hear the words ‘priced out of healthcare.’  Let’s be honest.  Healthcare is a right.” Regarding local farms, she said that it was necessary to control private equity buying up farmland for corporate farms and data centers. “We have to consider environmental impact and prioritize people over profit.”

When asked about gun legislation, Zelda explained that she has a concealed carry permit for her current job and recognizes that WNC residents sometimes rely on hunting for food. At the same time: “We can have sensible gun legislation if we prioritize things like mental health checks, red flag laws….It is our duty to make sure we’re not putting people in harm’s way.”

Jamie Ager is a fourth generation WNC farmer and owner of Hickory Nut Gap farm.  His grandfather, father and brother have represented or are representing WNC in different roles over the years. 

Answering a question about political weaknesses of Chuck Edwards, Jamie said that Edwards is “scared of the whole Trump administration.  He’s not fighting for us.  He never showed up in our communities after Helene.  (Showing up) isn’t in his wheelhouse.”

Jamie stressed his deep mountain roots and his ties to people of all backgrounds in communities throughout the district. “After the word ‘love,’ the word ‘home’ is one of the best words in the English language,” he said. “Western North Carolina is my home. There’s no prettier place in the world….When I started this journey (of running for congress) I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it, but driving through these 16 counties and talking to people, hearing their thoughts, I’ve enjoyed it more than I ever thought I would.”

He spoke to his concerns about the economic future of the country and the need to take action. “I’m a father of three sons, and I want them to feel like they can get ahead.”

Lee Whipple is an engineer in Asheville.  He stressed his expertise in infrastructure as an advantage for dealing with Helene recovery efforts.

“Cutting through the red tape is important,” he said, noting that Michael Whatley—Trump’s appointee to handle hurricane recovery—is holding up aid based on very complicated applications not being filled out perfectly. He stopped and looked at the audience. “It’s disaster recovery! We have to get these funds to people.”

Lee also repeatedly connected the election to the importance of stopping Trump.  “Trump is creating a paramilitary force answerable only to the administration. His attempts to amass power are more alarming than any issue we could discuss today.”

Lee called out the hypocrisy of school vouchers benefiting the wealthy and described himself as someone with new ideas, citing the examples of using mobile healthcare units as a stopgap solution as well as legalizing drugs but regulating for harm mitigation.

Paul Maddox is a cancer researcher and professor from Burnsville who stressed his unique blend of “half hillbilly and half scientist” as especially well suited to solving complex problems.

Because Paul had to drive back to Burnsville before the storm “to cut firewood for my mom,” he concluded remarks early, stressing unity among Democrats and a strong resolve to beat back authoritarianism.  “Are we going to live like we’re in a kingdom again or are we going to bring back a proper democracy with a balance of power?” he asked.

He noted that much of the recovery from Helene has been due to things people have accomplished on their own, using the example of a tree branch that has been put into service propping up utility pole for more than a year. “It’s working, but that isn’t the way it’s supposed to happen.”

Paul also explained that cuts to federal research was one of his incentives to join the race. “(Cancer) research is a critical factor affecting every American. We need a government that lifts us up instead of pushing us down.”

Richard Hudspeth is a family physician who has practiced in WNC for two decades. He just retired as CEO of Blue Ridge Health, a community healthcare system serving nine counties, and he has provided care in India and Africa.

One of the more dramatic moments of the forum occurred when Richard was stopped midsentence to give medical attention to an attendee.  After a few minutes, he returned to the front, grabbed the microphone and said, without missing a beat, “Do I support a woman’s right to control her own body? The answer is yes. Reproductive healthcare is exactly what it says: healthcare.”  He explained that he has witnessed many families facing different pregnancy circumstances and realizes there is no one decision that will be right for everyone.  “I am trained to help, not to judge.”

He said he supports universal healthcare and believes we can do it, pointing out that the United States has poor health outcomes compared to other developed countries despite paying more for healthcare.  

Richard pointed out that unaffiliated voters—the biggest group of voters in the county—play a large role in his campaign and represent a “great opportunity to flip” the seat. 

Additional Information

Please encourage all the WNC folks in your life to make plans to vote in the primary, either by mail, during in-person early voting or on Election Day, March 3, at the precincts.  Our Democratic candidates have invested a lot to give us good options, and a robust primary is the best way to acknowledge the significant efforts they and their families have made. Detailed information is available on our Primary Primer. 

Additional coverage of the forum is available in our local papers, The Hendersonville Lightning, the Hendersonville Times-News and the Asheville Citizen-Times. Another opportunity to hear from the candidates will be the district forum on Jan. 28^th at AB Tech, which will be livestreamed by WLOS. 

Mark Warwick, a nonpartisan community leader from local radio station WTZQ, moderated the forum.  Other candidates in attendance included Jerry Smith, candidate for Hendersonville mayor; Gina Baxter, running for re-election for Hendersonville city council; school board candidates Reid Barwick and Mary Ellen Kustin; and John Morgan, an unaffiliated candidate gathering signatures to get on the ballot to represent NC House District 113, a race that has no Democratic candidate.