North Carolina Republican officials selected state lawmaker Jennifer Balkcom on Monday to replace embattled Rep. Chuck Edwards on the November ballot for the 11th Congressional District. Edwards dropped his re-election bid following a House Ethics Committee probe into sexual harassment allegations, setting up a race against Democratic nominee Jamie Ager.
A panel of Republican officials in North Carolina selected a state lawmaker on Monday as their nominee for a House race after embattled Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped his re-election bid following sexual harassment allegations, according to NBC News reporting.
Jennifer Balkcom Selected by North Carolina GOP Committee
Jennifer Balkcom, who represents a state legislative district in Henderson County, was chosen by the North Carolina GOP’s Executive Committee for the 11th Congressional District to replace Edwards, according to NBC News. State law required the committee to make the selection given how late in the campaign Edwards dropped out.
Balkcom will face Jamie Ager, a farmer who won the Democratic primary in March and significantly outraised Edwards in the race, according to NBC News. The district was previously listed as Likely Republican
by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, but the rating was downgraded to Lean Republican
before the House Ethics Committee report was released.
Chuck Edwards Ends Re-Election Bid After Ethics Probe
Edwards announced last week that he would serve out his term in Congress but would not seek a third term in the House, according to NBC News. His decision came days after the House Ethics Committee recommended a censure following a probe that found substantial reason to believe Representative Edwards violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.
Edwards has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and the Ethics Committee noted that Edwards cooperated with the panel’s investigation while denying that any of his actions were meant to be sexual or romantic in nature, according to NBC News. Attorneys for Edwards wrote a 15-page response calling the committee’s findings unfounded.
Edwards previously called the allegations baseless
and stated in May that he welcomed an investigation.
Political History of North Carolina’s 11th District
Edwards was elected to the House in 2022 after having ousted the scandal-ridden Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the GOP primary, according to NBC News. Before Edwards, the district was represented by Mark Meadows, who led the House Freedom Caucus before stepping down to become White House chief of staff during President Donald Trump’s first term. Edwards, who had been endorsed by President Donald Trump, won his seat by more than 13 percentage points in 2024, but Democrats are now hopeful they can flip the seat as Republicans seek to defend their narrow majority in the House heading into the midterm elections.
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