RALEIGH — In an Aug. 22 post on Facebook, North Carolina Congressional Democratic candidate Moe Davis dropped out of the 11th District race, citing “party dynasties” backing fellow Democrat Jamie Ager.
“I’m grateful to everyone who supported my effort to kick ass for the working class in Western North Carolina,” Davis wrote in the post. “But at the end of the day you can’t overcome the overwhelming weight of the party’s dynasties who have aligned behind the status quo.”
Ager has built his campaign on his family’s long ties to western North Carolina and underscored that he is a fourth-generation farmer. But his family’s extensive experience in holding elected office was underscored by Davis, who specifically mentioned Ager’s father, John, as having “cleared the deck” for his son.
“Tonight, I concede to John Ager,” continued Davis. “He cleared the deck to pass down his state house seat to his son Eric in 2022 and he’s doing the same for his son Jamie in 2026 … political office is a family heirloom that gets handled down like it’s granddaddy’s pocket watch.”
John Ager was a member of the North Carolina House for District 113 from 2015 through January 2023. He unsuccessfully ran for the District 46 state Senate seat in 2024 and subsequently retired.
Jamie Ager’s grandfather James Clarke also served in the General Assembly House from 1982 until 1990, when he lost his reelection. Eric Ager currently serves in the state legislature for Buncombe County’s District 114.
Ager’s campaign did not respond to an inquiry by North State Journal.
The 11th District seat is currently held by Republican Chuck Edwards, who is seeking reelection in 2026. Davis, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, lost in the 2020 general election to Republican Madison Cawthorn.
The controversy over Ager entering the race started more than a month ago and came to a head when Ager was named as the only keynote speaker at the 2025 NC-11 Democrat Gala.
During the first week of August, four candidates for the seat, including Davis, signed a letter threatening to boycott the gala, with the letter stating its purpose was “to express our collective and unequivocal disgust.”
“Let us be clear: It is not the role of any Democratic Party entity, whether it’s county, district or state, to anoint a nominee before voters have had their say,” the letter said. “Showcasing a single candidate sends a clear and dangerous message that the primary is already decided.”
Davis allegedly wrote the letter, which he and the other Democratic hopefuls — Zelda Briarwood, Chris Harjes and Paul Maddox — signed. In a Facebook post, Davis later said he did not write the letter, refuting an article by the Asheville Watchdog claiming he had authored it.
The NC-11 Democratic Party organization responded by issuing a statement calling the selection of Ager as speaker a “misstep.”
“When Jamie Ager announced, it seemed that this was an answer. Some officers agreed and some did not, we consulted with NCDP as well,” the statement said. “In retrospect this was not the impartial way to handle this task.”
It was reported by the Sylva Herald that then-NC11 Democratic Party Chair Bill Baugh had asked the four candidates to pay $115 in order to speak at the gala, and the outlet confirmed that offer had occurred.
Baugh stepped down amid the controversy Aug. 4, according to an Aug. 10 newsletter on the NC11 Democrats website.
In an Aug. 18 newsletter on the NC11 Democratic Party website, interim chair Beth Hampton Jones’ message noted Baugh’s resignation before countering that the organization has six people operating it and few resources.
“I wonder sometimes if folks understand the ‘district’ is composed of six individuals (now five) who are volunteers,” Jones wrote. “Each one of us ran unopposed for our seat. We are not power brokers with a staff and massive resources. We don’t have ready-made volunteers like counties do. It’s not a glamorous job, and it has zero perks, but I think we all sincerely want to make positive changes for our communities and our people.”
An Aug. 19 report by Smoky Mountain News cited NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton attempting to calm the situation down at an Aug. 12 event in Haywood County and that three of the candidates were there. Midway through the report,”[Jamie] Ager, Zelda Briarwood and Moe Davis,” were named and Harjes was quoted as saying he was “not really campaigning anymore.”
This article was updated to reflect Smokey Mountain News’ article included three candidate names: Jamie Ager, Zelda Briarwood and Moe Davis. Context was added regarding the drafting of the gala boycott letter.
