Democrats flip North Carolina's 11th District

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio November 3, 2026 / 9:05 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Democrat Jamie Ager flipped control of North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, CBS News projected, marking the first time a Democrat has won the seat since 2010. Ager, a fourth-generation farmer, was initially supposed to face GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards, who ended his reelection bid in early August. State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom replaced Edwards on the ballot less than 90 days before the election, putting her at a disadvantage in an already tough political climate for Republicans. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the race from lean Republican to toss up after Edwards suspended his campaign. As Election Day neared, election forecasters shifted the race again to lean Democrat. The House voted overwhelmingly to censure Edwards in September after the bipartisan House Ethics Committee found the two-term congressman engaged in "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct" toward two young women who worked for him. Though Edwards argued the committee's findings "completely exonerate" him under House rules, he abandoned his reelection bid days later. In: North Carolina Election U.S. House of Representatives