Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) is facing growing questions about his political future representing North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, as the House Ethics Committee revealed a slew of inappropriate actions the lawmaker allegedly took toward two female staffers.
The controversy intensified after the ethics panel recommended the House censure Edwards on Monday in a report outlining how he invited young female staffers to dinner, gave them gifts valued at thousands of dollars, wrote them poems, and talked to “staffers about going to strip clubs in Washington, D.C.” Edwards’s campaign denied that any of the findings violate federal sexual harassment laws.
With the November election looming, Republicans are openly questioning if Edwards can continue his reelection bid in a seat that could potentially be a pickup opportunity for Democrats. President Donald Trump won the seat by 10 percentage points in 2024, but Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) won it by 6 points over former GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who was engulfed in scandal over comments made on a sex site.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat as “lean Republican.”
“Polling from both parties shows Edwards and Jamie Ager, a livestock farmer recruited by Blue Dog Democrats, are neck-and-neck,” Cook wrote.
Ager is part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “red to blue” program.
North Carolina election law allows a political party to replace a congressional nominee at any time, but if the vacancy occurs after ballots are printed, then a vote cast for the original nominee will go toward the new candidate.
If Edwards were to withdraw, state law requires the GOP executive committee for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District to convene and select a new nominee. The committee is made up of Republican officials from the 16 counties that make up the district. State laws do not define who would make up the executive committee.
If Edwards remains in the race after ballots begin printing, replacing him becomes more difficult because ballots must be finalized for military and overseas voters well ahead of the November election. Mail-in ballots begin going out on Sept. 4, and the state starts printing them in the weeks leading up to that date.
Edwards has shown no signs of dropping his reelection bid, even after the ethics committee released its report. He did not respond when the Washington Examiner asked if a withdrawal was under consideration.
“Representative Edwards looks forward to having his name cleared and will work to ensure that the full light of day is brought on this process and that every member of Congress and the public can see the attempt to harm the Congressman who has brought no harm to others,” Paul Shumaker, a spokesperson and strategist for Edwards’ campaign, said in a statement.