Chris Harjes
Chris Harjes (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 11th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Harjes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Chris Harjes was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He graduated from Spring Valley High School. He earned an associate degree from Asheville-Buncombe Community Technical College in 2001 and a graduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 2009. His career experience includes working as a nurse practitioner, business owner, and investor.[1]
Harjes has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- American Whitewater
- Patriotic Millionaires
- Asheville Indivisible
- Democracy Forward
- ACLU
- Sierra Club
Elections
2026
See also: North Carolina's 11th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 11
Incumbent Chuck Edwards, Jamie Ager, Zelda Briarwood, Chris Harjes, and Jacob Lawrence are running in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 11 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Chuck Edwards (R) | |
| Jamie Ager (D) | ||
 | Zelda Briarwood (D) | |
 | Chris Harjes (D)  | |
| Jacob Lawrence (D) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Morris Davis (D)
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Harjes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Harjes' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I feel compelled to set my comfortable life aside to step in and fight the partisan vitriol and attacks on free speech which are tearing our nation apart.
District 11 has been extremely challenging for Democrats, but this cycle presents new opportunity, with Chuck Edwards failing miserably to serve the needs of WNC in his efforts to appease his boss, who cares nothing for NC.
It still won't be easy- we'll need to put together a strong coalition of Democrats, moderates and even some frustrated Republicans to overcome the current +5 Republican advantage per the Cook Political Report.
To do that, I'm offering practical, common-sense policy on immigration, healthcare, government efficiency, fair taxation and most importantly, preservation of Democracy by fighting the pay-to-play political system, which allows a few outspoken billionaires to twist tax and business policy in their favor, at the expense of hardworking everyday Americans.
I'm also breaking the mold of vague, fence-riding politicians by openly publishing my plans and ideas on my website, ChrisHarjesforCongress.com . You're welcome to take a look, send feedback and ideas. If you like what we're doing, please spread the word, and support the movement if you can. Thank you!- Preservation of Democracy and free speech- Our Nation is under attack by billionaires and dark money influences who are stoking up our anger, carving up our nation, and laughing as we fight over the scraps.
They promote the false narrative that we should hate Americans with different beliefs. That we cannot prosper unless we allow the most vulnerable among us to suffer and starve. That we can't be a world power unless we bully our neighbors and abandon our allies in time of need. That we can't grow our economy without poisoning our land and water.
These are manufactured illusions that we can and must shatter-
By offering America compassionate, common sense government that brings safety, fairness and prosperity to ALL. - Fair taxation- https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/tax-reform For too long, the tax code has been rigged in favor of the ultra-wealthy and giant corporations — while working families in Western North Carolina carry the load. I am fighting for a tax system that’s simple, fair, and rooted in common sense. I can speak to this firsthand. Trump's 2017 tax breaks and existing loopholes allowed me to pay just 8% in federal income taxes for 2019, despite exceptional income. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos made exponentially more and paid as little as 1%. This is ridiculous, and needs to be fixed. I propose to remove all the favorite darling loopholes, then use that money to drop rates across the middle and lower taxes and lower our deficit.
- Immigration- https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/immigration Immigration has been the Democratic Party's major downfall in recent elections. And in my opinion, it’s because we’ve been doing it wrong. America needs secure borders. There are people in this world who would gladly sacrifice their lives to blow us off the map. We can’t just let them hop off a boat in Mexico and wander in the back door unannounced. But that doesn't mean we have to demonize Mexicans or anyone else who wants a better life in America. I'm advocating for fair, legal immigration based on both need and merit, as well as a clear and reasonable path to citizenship that begins with registering, getting social security numbers and paying taxes.
I want to set aside the partisan vitriol, kick out the oligarchs and the billionaires, and get America working together again to make our great nation safer, stronger, more compassionate and more prosperous. And don't belie anyone who tells you we can't do all these things!!
Zeb is creative and sharp. He works hard, plays hard and has a heart of gold. He is never afraid to step up and defend anyone treated unfairly. I’ll do my best to follow his lead..
Olivia is a fireball of passion, voice and power. Our amazing daughter inspires, advises, and even stepped in as campaign manager for the first few days. Olivia's got my back. And I’ve got hers.
I find particular inspiration in the music of the Avett Brothers, the fiction writings of Robin Hobb, and Search inside Yourself, the whimsical but informative self-discovery and "meditation for world peace and happiness" by Chade-Meng Tan.
In addition, intellect, experience, and more importantly an ability to recognize one's limits, to listen to the right advisors, to collaborate and use a team effort to make decisions and affect change, are all crucial characteristics.
Too many politicians feel the need to go Lone Wolf style, pretend to know everything, and take a very authoritarian leadership approach. While there are certain times when this approach is warranted, and even necessary, overall, we need to be excellent collaborators, wisely using all resources and surrounding expertise available.
My extensive experience with business ownership and managing medical care have taught me to balance making executive decisions when confidence when appropriate, versus seeking advice, help and collaboration when needed.
My first act if elected will be to propose, and push, legislation that levels the playing field, forcing billionaires, PACs and dark money interests to follow the same rules everyone else does, with strict campaign limits, which I would then lower until every middle-class family has just as much political power as the wealthiest Americans or foreigners.
My other obligations include, but are not limited to –
Keeping us safe and strengthening our nation with strategic, effective immigration policy https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/immigration
Enacting fair tax codes that lessen the tax burden on the middle class https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/tax-reform
And ensure that we spend that money wisely for the common good.
https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/government-efficiency
While I'm at it, I'll improve our educational system
https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/education
Strengthen our overall economy
https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/economy---trade
Preserve clean air and water –
https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/education
And use my extensive healthcare experience to make healthcare better and more affordable –
So I'm setting aside my comfortable life to dive and fight the partisan vitriol and dark money powers which are taken over our government, widened our wealth and power gap, and continue to threaten the very structure of our democracy.
For myself, I have spent the last three years taking a crash course in policy and the need for change, and I will continue doing so, while continuing to surround myself with experts in specific areas, thus making up for my lack of experience by tapping into the wealth of knowledge available, to write well informed policy, and vote with full knowledge of the repercussions of each bill that I consider.
I also believe politicians spend too much time campaigning and courting donors, and a shorter-term exacerbates this problem by forcing us to spend more time campaigning, and less time writing policy and studying votes. So yes, I would advocate for longer terms in the House of Representatives.
So in summary, I would offer an alternative to term limits, leaving the people genuinely free to decide the outcome, without the influence of millions of dollars of dark money swing their decision and keeping incumbent candidates who serve their political masters, instead of the actual people.
However my primary inspiration comes from the local public servants I know here in North Carolina, including Lindsay Prather, Jeff Jackson, Roy Cooper and Josh Stein.
She also is still unable to advance her career, and is suffering a degree of depression due to feeling trapped in a situation that was entirely the fault of poor luck and a poor system.
My proposal would be to close tax loopholes for millionaires and billionaires, use that money to provide cost of living tax relief for low incomes, consistent with the philosophy of Patriotic Millionaires- https://patrioticmillionaires.org/perspectives/america-needs-our-cost-of-living-tax-cut-act/.
With that said, there are core ideals which I will not compromise on.
I believe that we are all created equal.
That every child has the right to good food and a great education.
That taxation should be fair, and our government should spend our money wisely.
That wild places are worth preserving, and clean air and water are crucial for our survival.
This will give us the clout and credibility to attack the serious, deep-rooted corruption that is growing daily in the current administration. To the common question of impeachment, I would advocate using this tool only on two important conditions – we would first need to make sure that the route we chose would actually stick, and remove the current threat to Democracy. We would also need to ensure that the specific issue we chose to prosecute (there are incredible number of options) would resonate with the American people, and lead to unity and overall approval of our decision and actions. This is absolutely crucial to prevent backlash and prevent an even more dangerous candidate from coming onto the scene for the next cycle.
My strong interest in investing in solid education that prepares Americans of all backgrounds for profitable jobs that strengthen America overall would also put me gunning for a position on the Education and Workforce and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
I will also seek a position on the Veterans Affairs committee, and I additionally believe we should also have a separate committee for healthcare, since as a decades long medical provider, I see so much room for improvement, and my expertise is well-positioned to simultaneously improve access and quality, while reducing the obscene cost of our current healthcare system.
My plan involves running each sector of the government like a business, with direct accountability, enforced efficiency, and striving to provide five-star service to our customers (That's you) https://www.chrisharjesforcongress.com/government-efficiency
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Campaign finance summary
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See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
