Democrats got their first pickup of a Republican-held U.S. House seat on election night in the mountains of western North Carolina. Democrat Jamie Ager won Tuesday's race for the state's 11th Congressional District, defeating Republican Jennifer Balkcom, PBS News reported.
The win came in a district with a strong history of voting Republican. Ager runs a business that sells pasture-raised meats, and he has said his family has farmed in the area for a long time. Democrats hoped that background would connect with rural voters who have not often backed the party's candidates in that part of the state.
Balkcom, a member of the state legislature, became the Republican nominee late in the cycle. The incumbent, Rep. Chuck Edwards, suspended his reelection campaign in August. Earlier this year the House censured Edwards for inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers in his office, according to the report.
The seat matters in a year when both parties were fighting over a narrow House majority. Every district that changes hands moves Democrats closer to, or Republicans further from, control of the chamber. Ager's victory was the first such flip of the night, so it was an early sign of how competitive the map would be.
North Carolina was busy on the Democratic side Tuesday night. In the same state, former Gov. Roy Cooper won the open U.S. Senate seat, giving Democrats a key Senate pickup.
Ager will join the next Congress when it convenes in January. Raw 100.5 will keep following results from around the country as more races are called.
Sources: PBS News, The Associated Press