North Carolina 11th District Voter Guide: Balkcom, Ager and Groo on Health Care and Immigration
Three candidates are on the ballot for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Republican state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom of Henderson County, Democrat Jamie Ager, a farmer and business owner from Fairview, and Libertarian Travis Groo. The seat is open.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the three candidates on health care and immigration. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, the candidates' own words and public records.
The 11th District covers Asheville and the mountains of western North Carolina. Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped his reelection bid in August, days after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured for inappropriate conduct toward two female staffers, Blue Ridge Public Radio reported. Edwards said he would serve out his term, which ends in January. Republican officials then chose Balkcom to replace him on the ballot. WYFF reported that Democrats have not won the seat since Heath Shuler's reelection in 2010.
Why Health Care and Immigration Are Issues
Medicaid rules in North Carolina are changing because of a federal law passed last year. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, many adults ages 19 through 64 on Medicaid must work, go to school or volunteer 80 hours a month and renew their coverage every six months, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. The two issues overlap: under a rule that began Oct. 1, 2026, many people who are not U.S. citizens will lose their Medicaid, the state agency says. Federal immigration enforcement has also been a topic in the race, and local station WLOS asked all three candidates about it.
Jennifer Balkcom (Republican)
Balkcom, of Hendersonville, is an eighth-generation western North Carolinian who grew up on her family's apple farm in Henderson County, according to her campaign. She has worked in banking and finance since 1998 and is a mortgage loan officer. She has represented Henderson County in the North Carolina House since 2023, where she was the primary sponsor of the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, according to her iVoterGuide profile. WLOS lists no answers from Balkcom to its candidate questions.
On health care, the video says Balkcom says Medicaid and Medicare should remain available but opposes other taxpayer-funded programs. In her iVoterGuide questionnaire, she chose the statement that "Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary." In the state legislature, she voted against Medicaid expansion and voted to align Medicaid eligibility with federal law, NC Newsline reported.
On immigration, the video says Balkcom supports a simpler, cheaper farm-worker visa process and local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In her iVoterGuide questionnaire, she wrote, "I am a strong advocate for border security and the deportation of those who are here illegally, especially those who commit violent crimes." She also wrote that immigration should prioritize people "who want to assimilate into our culture" and that it is important to protect civilian refugees facing violence and war. NC Newsline reported that she backed President Trump's border security platform at a September rally in Gastonia.
Jamie Ager (Democrat)
Ager is a fourth-generation farmer from Fairview who founded and owns Hickory Nut Gap Farms, a meat company with 25 employees, NC Newsline reported. His campaign says he decided to run after Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.
On health care, the video says Ager supports a public insurance option, protecting Medicaid and expanding Medicare dental and vision care. His campaign website says, "I'll push for a public option so everyone has access to quality affordable health care," and "I'll support robust Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security." It says Medicare should cover services such as home care, "and dental and vision," and that he would defend Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices and keep capping insulin.
On immigration, the video says Ager supports a strong border and deporting criminals but opposes broad raids that hurt legal residents. In answers to WLOS, Ager said, "Current immigration raids have gone too far and have hurt people who are here legally while undermining trust in law enforcement." He added, "I support a strong border and a focus on deporting criminals, not our neighbors trying to do things right." His website says the immigration system "needs to be clear, fair, and realistic" and backs comprehensive immigration reform.
Travis Groo (Libertarian)
Groo is a Greensboro resident who works as a safety specialist at Old Dominion Freight Line and is president of Better Ballot North Carolina, a nonprofit that supports ranked choice voting, NC Newsline reported. He has chaired the Libertarian Party of Wake County and ran for the state Senate in 2020 and the state House in 2022 and 2024, according to his iVoterGuide profile.
On health care, the video says Groo says Medicaid and Medicare should remain available but opposes additional taxpayer-funded health programs. In his iVoterGuide questionnaire, he chose the same statement as Balkcom: "Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary." When he ran for the state Senate in 2020, Groo said he does not think government should be involved in the health care industry, NC Newsline reported.
On immigration, the video says Groo supports easier citizenship and cutting immigration red tape for peaceful immigrants. Asked by iVoterGuide who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S., he wrote, "Everyone, so long as they are peaceful." He told WLOS that legal immigration procedures are "so complex and expensive and lengthy" that many people cannot follow them, adding, "If Americans want immigrants to enter through legal channels, we need to make those channels fair, reasonable, and accessible."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Jennifer Balkcom: @JenBalkcom on X. Jamie Ager: @jamieagernc on X and Instagram and @JamieAgerNC on Facebook. Travis Groo: @groofornc on X and Facebook.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: NC Newsline, 2026 NC voter guide: U.S. House, 11th Congressional District: https://ncnewsline.com/voter-guides/contests/2026-general-u-s-house-11th-congressional-district/ ; Blue Ridge Public Radio, "Rep. Chuck Edwards drops reelection bid days after ethics committee recommends censure" (Aug. 5, 2026): https://www.bpr.org/politics-government/2026-08-05/rep-chuck-edwards-drops-reelection-bid-days-after-ethics-committee-recommends-censure ; WYFF, "Where Jamie Ager, Jennifer Balkcom stand on key issues": https://www.wyff4.com/article/north-carolina-house-race-jamie-ager-jennifer-balkcom/74229944 ; NC Department of Health and Human Services, Medicaid is Changing in 2026-27: https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/beneficiaries/medicaid-is-changing ; Jennifer Balkcom campaign: https://www.jenniferbalkcom.com/ ; iVoterGuide, Jennifer Capps Balkcom: https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/65059/race/30761/election/1457 ; WLOS, "Know your candidate: Jennifer Balkcom": https://wlos.com/news/election/north-carolina-11th-district-jennifer-balkcom-republican-2026-candidate-questions ; Jamie Ager campaign, Platform: https://agerforcongress.com/platform ; WLOS, "Know your candidate: Jamie Ager": https://wlos.com/news/election/north-carolina-11th-district-jamie-ager-democrat-2026-candidate-questions ; iVoterGuide, Travis Groo: https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/53642/race/30761/election/1457 ; WLOS, "Know your candidate: Travis Groo" (Oct. 15, 2026): https://wlos.com/news/election/north-carolina-11th-district-travis-groo-libertarian-2026-candidate-questions ; Libertarian Party, Travis Groo: https://lp.org/candidate/travis-groo/
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