Jasmine Beach-Ferrara easily outpaces field in NC 11th Congressional Democratic primary

ASHEVILLE - Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, an ordained minister and current member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, easily outpaced the Democratic field of challengers in the 11th Congressional District primary race.

Beach-Ferrara will face the winner of the Republican primary in the November general election, Henderson County resident and State Sen. Chuck Edwards, who beat incumbent Congressman Madison Cawthorn.

Beach-Ferrara claimed victory May 17 with 60.54% of the vote, well ahead of a crowded field of challengers, including Katie Dean (with 25.13% of the vote), Jay Carey (6.92%), Bo Hess (3.74%), Marco Gutierrez (1.84%) and Bynum M. Lunsford (1.82%), according to unofficial results.

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Beach-Ferrara, in a phone interview with the Citizen Times, said she's "honored to be the Democratic nominee for Congress."

"We're ready to build on the momentum we see in tonight's results," said Beach-Ferrara, 46. "In every corner of Western North Carolina, we're bringing people together and building the kind of campaign that can win in November."

An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and the founding executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, Beach-Ferrara was first elected to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in 2016. She won re-election in 2020.

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Beach-Ferrara has pushed for more equitable health care, better treatment for opioid addiction and more comprehensive child education, among other concerns. She's also a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade and reproductive choice for women.

West Asheville resident Paul Pennell, 58, said he was driven to the polls by "a few names in particular," like those who he knew would support LGBTQ issues, including Beach-Ferrara.

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"Anything that stands out for trans rights, social equality, anyone like that that sticks out, we stand up for," Pennell said. "We trust them for supporting rights for us."

Though he said he felt "a little bit less informed than normal," he would never not vote.

"We need to have good people up there against some of the crazies on the other side," Pennell said.

Asked if she was surprised by her margin of victory, Beach-Ferrara said her campaign has felt the momentum on the ground growing over the last 14 months, and in the last few weeks as they visited polling sites in every county in the district.

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"We feel so honored to have won in all 15 counties in the district," Beach-Ferrara said.

As far as the upcoming battle with her Republican opponent, Beach-Ferrara said her campaign was ready for every scenario. At the time of the interview, Cawthorn had not conceded yet to Edwards.

"We know we’ll be on ballot against the politics of extremism and division," Beach-Ferrara said. "That approach to politics doesn't reflect the people of Western North Carolina or our values."

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Beach-Ferrara and her wife, attorney Meghann Burke, live in Asheville with their three children. A graduate of Brown University for her undergraduate work, Beach-Ferrara holds a master of fine arts degree and completed her master of divinity degree at Harvard Divinity School. She served on the Biden Foundation's Advisory Council for Advancing LGBTQ Equality, according to her campaign biography.

Dean congratulated Beach-Ferrara on her win, and she said she looks forward to supporting Beach-Ferrara's campaign against Edwards. Dean and her husband, Zach, own an auto repair shop.

Dean said she doesn't consider the loss the end of her political career.

"I'm deeply grateful for the thousands of people who voted for us and put their trust in our campaign," Dean said. "I do not think this is the end, and we’ll keep working. I’ll keep fighting for the working class and the people of Western North Carolina with every fiber of my being."

Staff writer Sarah Honosky contributed to this report.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Jasmine Beach-Ferrara wins 11th Congressional Democratic primary