By admin 
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
Read our AI Policy.
- Rep. Chuck Edwards announced he will end his reelection campaign.
- A House Ethics report found substantial evidence he sexually harassed young employees.
- Edwards said he will finish his current term while local GOP may choose his replacement.
Embattled Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards announced early Wednesday he would end his campaign for reelection, but plans to serve out his term representing North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.
Read more More record heat expected for SC in August. When will it end?
“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards wrote on social media at 3:30 a.m. “I will complete my current term. Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life.”
The news comes two days after the House Committee on Ethics released a 25-page report finding “substantial evidence” that Edwards sexually harassed two young female employees and created a hostile work environment.
The committee also released 60 pages of messages between the two-term congressman and his staffers and his formal response.
The allegations against Edwards include skipping House votes to decorate an employee’s Christmas tree, buying an employee designer bags, shoes, a KitchenAid mixer, a robot vacuum, trips to New York City and Las Vegas, $1,000 worth of jewelry, and spending his birthday out of state with one of the women.
Edwards and his team denied any wrongdoing, and he testified before the committee that he would say “no,” when asked if he should have treated his employees any differently.
Edwards began serving the 11th Congressional District in 2023 and was running for a third term. Now, his time in Congress will end Jan. 3, 2027.
On Tuesday, a Capitol Hill source told McClatchy that Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, had urged Edwards to drop out of the race. Budd said, through a spokesman, he would not disclose his private conversations, but he found the ethics report “deeply concerning” and that Edwards “faces an uphill battle.”
On Tuesday, Budd released a written statement saying Edwards did the right thing by withdrawing from the race.
“He has been a fighter for the people of Western North Carolina as they work to recover from Helene, and I know he’ll continue to advocate for disaster funding for the remainder of his time in D.C.,” Budd said.
Edwards still faces a potential censure from his House colleagues, which means after the annual August recess, the House will vote on whether to have Edwards stand in the well of the House while allegations against him are read out.
Read more South Carolina collects a slew of data. Lawmakers want USC to help make use of it
Impact of Edwards dropping out of reelection race
Edwards’ decision now allows the local Republican Party to choose a replacement candidate for the 11th Congressional District, which represents southwestern North Carolina.
Edwards was set to face local farmer Jamie Ager, whose family has a long history in North Carolina politics, in November’s General Election. Ager released a statement Wednesday morning after Edwards’ announcement.
“Our people deserve representatives who will put Western North Carolina first, not ignore us while they misbehave in D.C. My heart goes out to the young women who took roles with Congressman Edwards’ office in the wake of his withdrawal from this race.
“For too long we’ve been forgotten by politicians who sell us a false bill of goods, then go to Congress to treat D.C. as their personal playground while we get left behind.”
Republican state lawmakers drew Edwards’ district with strong Republican support, making it seemingly an easy reelection campaign for Edwards. But the investigation into Edwards’ actions, coupled with very low fundraising, made election watchers switch the district from “leans Republican” to a toss-up.
Edwards entered Congress after defeating then-Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary and going on to win in the general election.
Voters chose to replace Cawthorn, who had a series of headline-making decisions that included calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug,” bringing weapons to airports and schools and a suggestive leaked video with his cousin.
Chris Cooper, a professor at Western Carolina University, within Edwards’ district, said previously that people in the district perceived Edwards “as the grown-up in the room” compared to Cawthorn, whose young age led to some of his trouble. Cawthorn is now 31 but was 25 when he was elected.
But in the past year-and-a-half, Edwards has had substantial staff turnover, and rumors about potential in appropriate behavior began to percolate.
Prior to serving in Congress, Edwards served in the state Senate and owned several McDonald’s franchises, which he recently announced he was selling.
Read more Fight between family members ends with murder charge, Columbia police say
This is a developing story and will be updated.