Two years ago, the primary race for District 11 between then-state Sen. Chuck Edwards of Hendersonville and the controversial U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, drew national attention. This time around, the primary between now-U.S. Rep. Edwards and Christian Reagan has been relatively quiet.
Edwards, who owns multiple McDonald’s fast-food franchises, did not respond to requests from Xpress to participate in this voter guide. In a November reelection campaign announcement he said he is running again to “restore our nation’s fiscal sanity, protect our freedoms, hold the Biden administration accountable and enable Americans to succeed.”
Edwards did make news last year when he wrote a commentary in the Cherokee One Feather urging members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to vote against a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. That initiative passed by a wide margin. Edwards has also co-sponsored several proposed laws that would make it easier to buy firearms and would restrict or prohibit the government from intervening, according to reporting from Asheville Watchdog.
Reagan, Edwards’ primary opponent, is a mortgage lender from the far western town of Hayesville, where he moved from Texas with his wife to retire. Reagan says he is running for federal office because the country “has been sold out and destroyed from within by the elite class in Washington, D.C.,” according to his website.
In November 2023, Democratic state Rep. Caleb Rudow announced his bid to challenge the Republican nominee for the seat and awaits the winner in the general election
Christian Reagan
Website: Reaganforcongress.com
Occupation: Semiretired, Owner of Smoky Mountain Mortgage, LLC
Previous candidacy or offices held: City councilman in Whitehouse, Texas, 2000-01
Will you accept the outcome of the 2024 election?
Of course.
How do you differentiate yourself from your opponent?
I am a true fiscal conservative that understands the current dangers related to both the national debt and federal deficit spending. We are broke as a nation and we must reverse the fiscal insanity in Washington, D.C.
What are your positions on supporting Ukraine and Israel?
I would not approve another penny to the war effort in Ukraine. It is a corrupt country that is being used as a slush fund for the global elites. Israel is a different story. The existence of the country has dated back 4,000 years. They have a right to exist as an independent country. Her standing in the Middle East represents freedom for its people. The United States should never turn its back on the state of Israel.
What part of the national conversation do you agree with, and how do you think it should be addressed?
The second-most important issue facing this nation is that of securing the southern border. An invasion into this country began three years ago. Ten million illegal immigrants have entered this nation from 117 different countries. We must secure the border by using the military, complete the border wall and begin the difficulty of removing all illegals from our country.
What are the top three issues facing residents in WNC that Congress can address?
- Fiscal insanity in Washington, D.C., has caused unbelievable inflation and higher interest rates for the citizens within WNC.
- Out-of-control illegal immigration within all WNC communities.
- The lack of support of law enforcement officers within our state, counties and municipalities within WNC.
This is the right stance to take on Ukraine! The fact that Russia is waging an unprovoked war of aggression is irrelevant, as Mr. Reagan correctly insists.
Because, of course, Ukraine is a corrupt country — and the hundreds of Ukrainian children who have died as a result of Russia’s invasion were the most corrupt of the bunch, with the patriotic Ukrainians giving their lives in defense of their families and neighbors coming in close second.
Just one question remains: is the global elite slush fund being managed by Ukraine’s gravediggers? Or has it been secreted away into pensions for Ukraine’s widows, widowers, and orphans? Inquiring minds want to know!