Citing Commitment to Lower Cost of Caregiving, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC Endorses Jamie Ager for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District

WASHINGTON – Today, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC (CFFE PAC) announced its endorsement of Jamie Ager in his bid to represent North Carolina’s 11th congressional district, a key pickup opportunity for Democrats in what will be one of the country’s most closely watched races.

This endorsement reflects CFFE PAC's commitment to electing candidates who will make life more affordable by tackling the crippling cost of caregiving through investments in affordable child and elder care and paid family and medical leave. Electing a working-class champion to this seat is essential to building a Democratic House majority and passing policies to reduce the cost of care. CFFE PAC has a field office in NC-11 and is spending millions of dollars this cycle across the country to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, including Jamie Ager.

“Jamie Ager understands the pressures facing Western North Carolina families because he has spent his life working alongside them,” said Sondra Goldschein, Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC. “As a farmer and entrepreneur, Jamie knows what rising costs mean for families trying to make ends meet, businesses trying to keep their doors open, and farmers working to build a secure future. He’ll bring that firsthand experience to Congress and fight to lower the cost of care, strengthen local economies, and ensure working families have a voice in Washington.”

"I understand the challenges that families and small businesses face as costs rise across the board," said Jamie Ager. “Fighting to lower costs, expand health care access, and improve childcare will be priorities for me in Congress. I am honored to have the support of CFFE PAC, and I look forward to standing up for the hardworking people of Western North Carolina."

Jamie Ager is a fourth-generation farmer and small-business owner who has spent his life building community and creating economic opportunities in Western North Carolina. For the past 25 years, Ager and his wife have grown Hickory Nut Gap into a successful local business that supports dozens of employees and works with farmers across the region. He understands that for too many working families, paychecks simply aren’t keeping pace with the rising cost of child care, housing, utilities, food, and other essentials. In Congress, Ager will fight to put more money back in families’ pockets by expanding support for child care and the Child Tax Credit, protecting small businesses and family farms, and ensuring North Carolina is a place where families can thrive.

In contrast, Ager’s opponent, Republican State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, has a record of making it harder for North Carolina families to afford the care they need. Balkcom voted against Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, which has since extended health coverage to hundreds of thousands of people across the state. Whether it’s paying for health care, child care, or care for an aging parent, families need a representative who will work to bring these costs down.

Across the state, working people are feeling squeezed at every turn. Nearly 75% of North Carolinians report struggling to afford their monthly expenses due to rising costs. For Western North Carolina families, the choice in this election is clear: Jamie Ager understands the pressure rising costs are putting on household budgets and will work to make life more affordable.

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The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC works to elect candidates who believe all people should be able to afford to care for themselves and their loved ones. Since 2015, we have run some of the largest electoral programs in battleground states to support candidates that are fighting for policies like paid family and medical leave and quality, affordable child care, elder care and health care. We know how to effectively communicate about high costs and the economy in the way people actually think about it – emphasizing who is committed to lowering costs, and who isn’t. We use this insight to reach voters at the scale needed to have an impact, building support for candidates up and down the ballot who are committed to lowering the cost of caregiving.