The latest figure from a long-standing North Carolina political family is entering the race for a seat in the US Congress.
But his family history includes a detail his grandfather reportedly preferred to keep private.
Jamie Ager, a Democrat, is seeking election in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. A lifelong farmer and first-time candidate, he is campaigning on his personal roots and his family’s history of public service.
A Daily Mail review of Ager’s family tree found that his grandparents were first cousins.
Ager is the maternal grandson of Jamie Clarke, who represented a western North Carolina congressional district in Washington for three terms during the 1980s and 1990s. Clarke was married to his first cousin, Elspeth M Clarke.
Former Congressman Jamie Clarke, who died in 1999, was the son of Reverend Dumont Clarke Sr and Annie M Clarke—one set of Ager’s great-grandparents.
Elspeth M Clarke, Ager’s grandmother, died in 2001. She was the daughter of James GK ‘Jim’ McClure Jr and Elizabeth McClure, who were another set of his great-grandparents.
Annie M Clarke and James GK ‘Jim’ McClure Jr were both children of James GK McClure Sr, making them siblings—and making Jamie and Elspeth Clarke first cousins.
Jamie Ager, the Democratic candidate in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, comes from a family with multigenerational political ties
Former Congressman Jamie Clarke and his wife, Elspeth M Clarke, are pictured in their later years. The first cousins were the grandparents of North Carolina congressional candidate Jamie Ager
The Ager campaign did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment about his family tree.
Ager openly highlights the fact that his grandfather once represented the same seat he is now pursuing.
“My granddad, Jamie Clarke, served western North Carolina in the US Congress and the state legislature, balancing running the farm with working for the people in office,” Ager’s campaign website states.
“In fact, he was instrumental in helping to shape early programs like Medicare and Medicaid. I watched those values play out not in politics, but in the lives of our neighbors.”
Ager’s father, John, and his brother, Eric, have also served in the North Carolina State House of Representatives.
“My father John served in the State House seat that my older brother, Eric, currently serves in,” his campaign website says.
Patti Trick, chair of the Macon County Republican Party, told Our News Outlet that the Ager family bears similarities to the Kennedy political dynasty.
“Jamie Ager and his family are like the mountain version of the old school Kennedys. A family dynasty of liberals who in this case like to marry each other.”
The race has become more competitive for Democrats after the Cook Political Report shifted its rating in recent months from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.”
Political insiders say Ager’s unexpected family connection, along with a closely watched statewide US Senate contest, could reshape the race in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.
Statewide, Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is facing off against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in what’s shaping up to be a tough battle.
Ager, his wife Amy, and their children, pictured on their family farm in Western North Carolina
James McClure Clarke (above) is Jamie’s maternal grandfather and a former western North Carolina congressman. He is pictured with supporters on election night in November of 1982
North Carolina’s 11th district is currently represented by Republican Chuck Edwards, who was censured by his colleagues this year for ‘persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct’ with younger staffers
North Carolina’s 11th congressional seat has a tumultuous history.
It is currently represented by Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who withdrew his re-election bid in August after it was revealed that he gave lavish gifts including towers of ice cream and firearms to young female staffers, and even wrote them poems.
As a result of a House Ethics Committee recommendation, Edwards was formally censured by his own colleagues for ‘persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct’ with the younger staffers.
Edwards remains in office as he has not faced legal issues. He apologized to his wife for his actions and denied that he ever meant anything inappropriate.
After Edwards withdrew his bid for office, Republican Party insiders selected State Representative Jennifer Balkcom as his replacement on the November ballot.
