NC Rep. Edwards drops reelection campaign following ethics probe, urging of Republican colleagues

Congressman Chuck Edwards, R-North Carolina, has decided to drop his bid for reelection following Monday’s recommendation by the House Ethics Committee that he be censured.

Edwards made the announcement early Wednesday morning on social media.

“After much prayer, thoughtful reflection, and many conversations with my family, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards wrote on his official Facebook page Wednesday morning.

Edwards plans to complete his term.

“This decision has not come easily. Public service always requires sacrifice—not only from those who serve, but from their spouses, families, volunteers, and supporters,” Edwards continued. “Teresa and I are profoundly grateful for the countless people who have stood beside us with their prayers, encouragement, and friendship throughout this journey.”

The decision came hours after one of Edwards’ fellow North Carolina Republicans suggested the outcome of the ethics investigation would make it hard for him to win reelection  in November.

The U.S. House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it’s recommending that Edwards, a Republican representing North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, be censured for inappropriate conduct toward two young women who worked in his office.

Multiple media outlets reported Tuesday that Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, told Edwards the race was unwinnable.

A spokesman for Budd told NC Newsline that while the senator does not disclose his private conversations, he “finds the House Ethics report deeply concerning.”

“He believes Rep. Edwards faces a significant uphill battle in his reelection bid, given that he was already trailing in the polls and being outraised 9 to 1 even before this report’s publication,” said the spokesman in a statement to NC Newsline.

In a statement Wednesday morning, Budd said Edwards “did the right thing” by withdrawing.

“He has been a fighter for the people of Western North Carolina as they work to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene, and I know he’ll continue to advocate for disaster funding for the remainder of his time in D.C.,” Budd said.

A spokesman for Edwards declined to comment on Budd’s comments to NC Newsline Tuesday night.

Ethics investigators found Edwards demonstrated a pattern of “inappropriate actions” toward the two young staffers, though it found no evidence he had inappropriately touched them or made explicitly sexual comments to them.

Both women received numerous gifts from the 65-year-old Edwards, including jewelry totaling over $1,000, “designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, KitchenAid mixer, robotic vacuums, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners,” according to the ethics committee’s report.

According to the report, the two female staffers were “uncomfortable with his behavior, but were put in an untenable position by virtue of his status as their boss and a Member of Congress.”

In May, Edwards said his office welcomed the investigation and called the allegations “baseless.”

In his response to the report, the congressman called censure “an extraordinarily harsh and infrequent punishment,” and insisted the investigation had not proven he broke any actual rules.

On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Stein said he had not read the full report but found the findings unsettling.

“To be clear, for Congress to take some action on a bipartisan basis indicates that what they know is very troubling,” said Stein.

Edwards, who is running for his third term, faced a formidable opponent in Democrat Jamie Ager. Ager’s grandfather represented the 11th Congressional District from 1983 to 1985 and 1987 to 1991, following a stint in the state legislature. His brother Eric Ager serves in the N.C. House.

Even before the ethics probe, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it would financially support Ager, as it viewed the seat in western North Carolina as one that could flip from Republican to Democratic with more resources and fundraising support.

At the end of July, election forecaster Sabato’s Crystal Ball updated its assessment of the 11th congressional district from “Leans Republican” to “Toss-up.”