The five Democrats running to represent North Carolina’s 11th District in Congress faced off Wednesday night during a candidate forum in Asheville.
Candidates Jamie Ager, Zelda Briarwood, Richard Hudspeth, Paul Maddox and Lee Whipple tackled a range of issues during the event at A-B Tech. They included health care, Hurricane Helene recovery, immigration policy and the cost of living.
Wednesday night’s event was hosted by WLOS and can be viewed online here.
The 11th District is currently represented by Republican Chuck Edwards and includes most of Western North Carolina. The primary election is Tuesday, March 3rd.
Several attendees told BPR News the recent shootings of two American citizens by ICE agents in Minnesota were weighing heavily on their minds.
Gabriel Haaland lives in Buncombe County. Before heading to the candidate forum, he attended a vigil in downtown Asheville for Alex Pretti, who was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis last week.
“I grew up in Minnesota when I was a kid, and so it’s been really painful to see how our government has been responding to that,” Haaland told BPR. “So I feel like having a candidate who reflects democratic values is of utmost importance.”
