Shocking secrets of inbred North Carolina political dynasty laid bare as Democrat heir

The latest member of a North Carolina political dynasty has decided to throw his hat in the ring for a seat in the US Congress.

The catch is that his role model grandfather has a secret that he wants to keep in the family. 

Jamie Ager, a Democrat, is running for office as a lifelong farmer and first-time candidate in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.

A Daily Mail review of his family tree reveals that his grandparents were first cousins.

Jamie Ager is the grandson of Jamie Clarke, on his maternal side, who represented a western North Carolina congressional seat in DC for three terms in the 1980s and 1990s. Clarke was married to his first cousin, Elspeth M Clarke. 

Former Congressman Jamie Clarke, who passed away in 1999, was the son of Reverend Dumont Clarke Sr and Annie M Clarke, one set of Jamie Ager’s great-grandparents.

Elspeth M Clarke, Jamie Ager’s grandmother who passed away in 2001, was the daughter of James GK ‘Jim’ McClure Jr and Elizabeth McClure, another set of Jamie Ager’s great-grandparents.

Annie M Clarke and James GK ‘Jim’ McClure Jr were both children of James GK McClure Sr, making them siblings, and Jamie and Elspeth Clarke first cousins.

Jamie Ager, the Democratic Candidate in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District is part of a family with multi-generational political ties 

Former Congressman Jamie Clarke, and his wife, Elspeth M Clarke, are pictured in their later years. They were first cousins, and the grandparents of North Carolina congressional candidate Jamie Ager

The Ager campaign did not return Daily Mail’s request for comment on his family tree.

Jamie Ager proudly touts the fact that his grandfather represented the seat he now seeks. 

‘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,’ Jamie Ager’s campaign website reads.

‘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.’

His father John and brother Eric both served in the State House of Representatives.

‘My father John served in the State House seat that my older brother, Eric, currently serves in,’ says his campaign website.

Patti Trick, who chairs the Macon County Republican Party, told the Daily Mail that the Ager family has 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 is shifting toward the Democratic candidate as its Cook Political Report rating changed from ‘likely Republican’ to ‘lean Republican’ in recent months.

Insiders say Ager’s surprise close family ties, as well as a competitive contest in the statewide race for the US Senate, could upend the race. 

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.