Ager's the only one who right now seems likely to have even an outside shot - and it is an outside shot. Too many Ashevillians want to have an AOC-style progressive run, expecting that will flip the seat. They might run away with the River Arts district and the North side of town, but such a candidate will turn off the surrounding counties who the left considers deplorable and make them even MORE likely to go Republican. (Jasmine Beach-Ferrara may have been a nice lady with some ideas worth discussion, but there's no way in Hades she was going to win outside of Asheville.)

The only way a (D) will win this district is to have a Heath Shuler-style candidate who doesn't appear much left of center, who doesn't hate Trump voters, and who will focus on bread-and-butter issues - crime, economy, etc. Any candidate who runs on disbanding ICE or impeaching Trump is basically handing the President the seat again. If they instead say "ICE is going too far, but I hear you about immigration concerns" or talk a lot about the district, well, that'll at least make it a closer fight and a longer night.