North Carolina GOP committee picks Jennifer Balkcom to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards on November ballot

BREAKING NEWSAug. 11, 2026, 12:04 AM UTC2026 Election2026 ElectionNorth Carolina GOP committee picks Jennifer Balkcom to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards on November ballotEdwards dropped his re-election bid after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured over sexual harassment allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., has said he will serve out his term but not seek re-election.Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Raquel Coronell UribeA 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.Jennifer Balkcom, who represents a state legislative district in Henderson County, will face Jamie Ager, who won the Democratic primary in March.North Carolina GOP’s Executive Committee for the 11th Congressional District picked Balkcom to replace Edwards in compliance with state law given how late in the campaign he dropped out.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.”Edwards previously called the allegations “baseless,” and in May he said he welcomed an investigation.Edwards was elected to the House in 2022 after having ousted the sca...