Chuck Edwards Quit His Re-Election Race Two Days After the Ethics Report. Now a County Committee Picks His Replacement.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Chuck Edwards, a two-term Republican from western North Carolina, abandoned his re-election campaign on Wednesday, two days after the House Ethics Committee released a 25-page report concluding he had violated House rules against sexual harassment and hostile workplace conduct and recommending he be censured.

"After much prayer and reflection, I've decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign," Edwards said in a statement. He said he intends to serve out the remainder of his current term, which runs through January.

The committee's findings, made public Monday, said there was "substantial reason to believe" Edwards repeatedly crossed professional boundaries with two young female staffers over a sustained period. Investigators documented thousands of dollars in gifts — including firearms — along with paid dinners and vacations, affectionate handwritten notes, personal text messages and repeated remarks about the women's appearance. The panel wrote that what Edwards did to two young staffers, repeatedly and over time, was beyond inappropriate. The investigation had been announced in May.

Edwards submitted a 15-page rebuttal disputing the conclusions. He said he "sincerely regrets that his behavior created discomfort" but denied violating House misconduct rules. That did not hold the caucus. House Republican leadership pressed him to leave the race after the report landed. Democrats argued the recommended punishment was too light: "A censure is not enough, he should be removed from Congress," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington. The Democratic Women's Caucus said a censure by itself does nothing to protect staff from retaliation.

The seat is North Carolina's 11th District, anchored by Asheville and covering the state's mountain west. Edwards won it in 2022 after defeating Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary, and it was already shaping up as one of the more competitive Republican-held races on the 2026 map. His Democratic challenger, Jamie Ager, a farmer whose grandfather represented an earlier version of the district in Congress, had out-raised Edwards and been placed on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" target list. A censured incumbent on the ballot would have made the district harder to hold.

Because Edwards is withdrawing rather than resigning, the replacement will not be chosen by voters. Under North Carolina law he must be off the ballot before September 4, the date ballots go out to military and overseas voters, and the district executive committee of the state Republican Party selects the substitute nominee. Edwards, who sits on the Appropriations and Budget committees, will remain in the House while the censure recommendation awaits a floor vote — meaning the chamber may still be asked to formally punish a member who is already on his way out.