I’m running to take on Representative Madison Cawthorn. Cawthorn has failed the families of our district. Not only did he spew dangerous conspiracy theories about our election and help fire up a violent crowd to attack our Capitol, he is more focused on self-promotion than serving Western North Carolinians.
An organizer to my core, I’m building a campaign that will engage with voters in every corner of the district. That means knocking on doors of people who haven’t heard from a campaign in years, talking to folks who have disengaged from the political process because it seems like elected officials don’t care about their lives, and bringing new people into the process.
In Congress, I will go to work every day focusing on delivering on early childhood education, responding to the opioid crisis, protecting family farms and expanding economic opportunity—not generating self-serving headlines.
As a Buncombe County Commissioner, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and the founding Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE), Jasmine Beach-Ferrara has overturned expectations and created positive change for her community.
North Carolina Roots and a Background of Service:
Jasmine was raised in North Carolina by a single mom who worked as a public health nurse. Her mom instilled in Jasmine the importance of faith-driven empathy and service that shaped the trajectory of her life. Jasmine initially went to college to become a doctor but then felt called to ministry and went to divinity school, becoming ordained as a minister.
Service and faith are the driving forces in her work, from teaching in prisons to founding an organization to advocate for LGBTQ equality across the Deep South. By showing up—especially in small towns—and telling the stories of families, Jasmine’s organization (CSE) helped win marriage equality in North Carolina and Mississippi. Her background as an organizer shapes how she approaches breaking through entrenched fault-lines to create change.
Taking on Tough Fights and Delivering
Jasmine heard over and over that she didn’t have a chance to win a seat on the Buncombe County Commission when she first ran. But not only did she win in 2016, she then earned reelection by double digits against a widely popular Republican opponent in 2020.
She now serves as Chair of the Early Childhood Education and Development Committee.
As commissioner, Jasmine focuses on policies that create a community where every child can thrive, and where people feel a sense of belonging and can live up to their full potential.
These include a robust response to the COVID-19 pandemic, early childhood education, affordable housing, criminal justice reform and tackling the opioid epidemic with compassion.
Jasmine and her wife, Meghann Burke, live in Asheville with their oldest child Cal, twins Lily and Wyatt and dog, Ruggles. They love hiking, swimming, exploring every playground in the county, and BBQ-ing. Jasmine is a fan of the UNC Tarheels, Carolina Courage, and Carolina Panthers.
Jasmine attended public schools through high school and received her undergraduate degree from Brown University. She holds a Master of Fine Arts and completed her Master of Divinity degree at Harvard Divinity School. She served on the Biden Foundation’s Advisory Council for Advancing LGBTQ Equality.