Republican officials in North Carolina selected state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) in this November’s general election.
Edwards dropped his re-election bid after the House Ethics Committee recommended censuring him amid an investigation into sexual harassment accusations.
Balkcom, who represents a state legislative district in Henderson County, will face Jamie Ager in November.
🎉 Congratulations to @JenBalkcom for securing the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.
Jennifer Balkcom has previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives representing District 117 in Henderson County. She will be on the… pic.twitter.com/Mjfihufq4I
— NCGOP (@NCGOP) August 10, 2026
More from The New York Times:
Even without scandal, Mr. Edwards had already been facing a competitive re-election contest. Jamie Ager, the Democratic candidate, has been making inroads in the district as a farmer with deep roots in a mostly conservative region that has shifted left in recent election cycles.
But after the House Ethics Committee recommended that Mr. Edwards be censured for “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward the women, he faced growing pressure to abandon his re-election bid.
Ms. Balkcom was selected to replace Mr. Edwards by the Republican executive committee of North Carolina’s 11th District. The committee includes dozens of members, such as local party chairs.
Ms. Balkcom, who has served two terms in the State House, had expressed interest in running for the district, saying in a statement on Monday that she was eager to “work with President Trump’s administration to continue rebuilding western North Carolina, and make sure Washington never forgets the people who call these mountains home.”
“I’m a Henderson County farm girl. I know what it means to work hard, fight for what you believe in, and protect something so that the next generation can inherit it. Those roots are why I fight so hard for this place – because Western North Carolina isn’t just where I live. It’s home. Western North Carolina is worth fighting for, and I’m ready to get to work,” Balkcom said.
— Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (@JenBalkcom) August 10, 2026
NBC News shared further:
Balkcom’s candidacy was heavily boosted by power players in the state. North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall, a Republican, endorsed her on social media Monday afternoon, calling her “the right person at the right time.”
“Jennifer is a principled conservative, a tireless advocate for her district, and a leader who gets things done,” Hall wrote on X.
The state GOP’s executive director, Zachary Almond, congratulated Balkcom on X after her nomination was announced, saying he was “excited to work alongside her and her team throughout the election cycle.”
Edwards, who had been endorsed by President Donald Trump, announced last week that he would serve out his term in Congress but would not seek a third term in the House. 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.”
He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and the Ethics Committee said Edwards, who cooperated with the panel’s investigation, had denied that any of his actions were meant to be sexual or romantic in nature. Attorneys for Edwards wrote a 15-page response to the committee’s findings, calling them “unfounded.”
