Democrats see new openings for House wins in Trump country after first midterm primaries | CNN Politics

Jamie Ager acknowledged that his path to flipping his western North Carolina seat involves what he called “difficult math.” Democrats haven’t represented the state’s 11th District in more than a decade, and President Donald Trump carried the seat by 10 points in 2024 under its current district lines. But Ager, a fourth-generation farmer who won the Democratic primary Tuesday, is hoping his deep ties to the community will help overcome his party’s reputation. “Because I know so many people in the community, I’ve been a good business partner to a lot of folks, people see me less in the context of political partisanship, and more in the context of a friend, a neighbor, community member,” Ager said. In their bid to take back the House in November, national Democrats have sought to expand their map deeper into Republican territory, hoping that candidates like Ager can make the races more competitive. But before Democrats can contest control of the US House, they must first make their way through a monthslong primary season full of competitive primaries in blue, purple and red-leaning districts. Tuesday’s primaries offered some clues as to how that process could go. Tur

Mar 6, 2026 → Mar 20, 2026