Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District has been a Republican stronghold for more than a decade, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s decision to elevate Buncombe County farmer Jamie Ager into its first 2026 “Red to Blue” cohort amid a competitive Primary Election has turned the spotlight inward as much as outward. North Carolina Democrats aren't the only ones complaining. 

To the Editor:

As former justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court, we’re writing with an urgent message. Please plan on voting in the Primary Election on Tuesday, March 3, by either early voting or on Election Day. There is one critically important primary race for judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals for Seat 3. We have all enthusiastically endorsed Attorney James Whalen for this seat and we encourage you to join us in our support for him. 

Many counties around Western North Carolina are working to address a host of similar issues — rapidly growing populations, a housing stock that can’t keep up, aging infrastructure and struggles filling staffing vacancies. Macon County boasts the second-lowest property tax rate in the state, but with capital projects on the horizon and pay raises demanded for several county departments, tough choices will need to be made by whoever is elected to the board in November. 

Few Primary races across the region have drawn the attention that the contest for Haywood County Sheriff has seen. 

Squaring off for the position in the Republican Primary are incumbent Sheriff Bill Wilke, who has made reform a cornerstone of his first term in office, and Mark Mease, a former HCSO captain who promises to bring back a level of integrity and professionalism he said has been absent the last three-plus years. 

Amid growing financial concerns, Jackson County’s four Republican commissioners have spent the last few years fighting a culture war. On March 3, Primary Election voters will weigh in on their priorities. 

Over the past four budget cycles, Jackson County commissioners have overseen a steady expansion of county government, with the general fund growing from $71.7 million in fiscal year 2021-22 to $106.9 million in 2025-26, an increase of roughly 49% over five years.

Paul Maddox has spent decades studying sickness. A cancer researcher, tenured professor and lifelong learner, he’s spent much of his career exploring how to heal the body. Now, Maddox says, he’s ready to heal something else.

Weeks after a bitter dispute over a Democratic gala laid bare divisions in Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, the field is shifting again.

A blistering letter signed by four Democratic candidates for Congress in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District is raising questions about party neutrality in primaries, calling the party’s decision to include only one congressional candidate — Jamie Ager — as the keynote speaker at the NC-11 Democratic gala “deeply unfair” and fundamentally at odds with core party values.

While the March 5 Primary Election was relatively quiet in the west — with few races and even fewer competitive races — results from state and national contests not only solidified partisan matchups for November’s General Election but also highlighted growing dissatisfaction with major party candidates. 

Two seats are open on the Swain County Board of Commissioners in 2024, and while three Republicans squaring off in the Primary Election are probably treating this like a General Election since no Democrats filed, one unaffiliated candidate is trying to muster enough support to appear on the November General Election ballot.