Republicans in North Carolina have chosen a new nominee to run in a competitive House district after the incumbent, Rep. Chuck Edwards, said he was dropping his reelection bid following an ethics report detailing his conduct toward two young female staffers.
State lawmaker Jennifer Balkcom will face Democrat Jamie Ager, a fifth-generation farmer, in November, a panel of western North Carolina Republicans announced Monday night.
“It has been an incredible honor to fight for Henderson County in Raleigh, and I will take that fight to Washington and work every single day to make life more affordable for working families, improve community safety, support our farmers, and ensure we have the resources we need to continue to recover from Hurricane Helene,” Balkcom said in a statement.
Edwards, who had been endorsed by President Donald Trump, said last week that he was dropping his reelection bid after the House Ethics Committee recommended censuring him in a report that described “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward two young female staffers. Edwards has denied wrongdoing.
Lawyers for the congressman called the committee’s decision “expeditious and unfounded” and said the recommendation to censure him was “extraordinarily harsh.”
The North Carolina Republican Party’s executive committee for the 11th District met Monday night to select a new nominee in accordance with state law.
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