GOP Congressman Drops Re-Election Bid After Ethics Report

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) announced Wednesday that he would withdraw from his re-election campaign. The decision followed the release on August 3 of a report by the bipartisan House Committee on Ethics that recommended the full House vote to censure him.

The Ethics Committee report concluded that there was substantial reason to believe Edwards violated House rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces. It stated that he “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers” and found that the congressman “violated the House Code of Official Conduct by failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers.”

According to the report, Edwards provided the staffers with “lavish and recurrent gifts,” including jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cellphones, a KitchenAid mixer, a robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners. The panel also noted that he made comments regarding their appearance and dress, invited them to intimate dinners and vacations, sent notes regarding his effusive affection, and engaged in other activities as a way to spend time together.

Additional details included personal texts late in the evenings, discussions of strip club visits, skipping House votes on one occasion to help decorate a staffer’s Christmas tree, and canceling a tele-town hall to meet a staffer for dinner.

The committee noted that it found no evidence that Edwards engaged in sexual activity with or explicitly propositioned any individual under his employ. It also concluded that the allegations did not involve quid pro quo sexual harassment and that he did not violate the letter of federal sexual harassment law.

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NEW: The House Ethics Committee is recommending that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) be censured after their investigation found he created a hostile work environment for two female staffers due to sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, including missing votes one evening to… pic.twitter.com/Qyfj7nGlUN

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However, the report stated that while Edwards denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, “his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such.” The committee further noted that Edwards was aware that his excessive attention toward the young women had led to rumors and innuendo in the office. The report described the conduct as “beyond inappropriate.”

Edwards cooperated with the investigation but has denied a number of the allegations against him. His attorneys submitted a 15-page rebuttal arguing that the committee’s conclusions were unfounded and did not rise to the level of censure, while a spokesman for the congressman stated that the findings “completely exonerate Representative Edwards under the House rules governing sexual misconduct or harassment.”

The spokesman added that the committee concluded he “did not violate federal sexual harassment law” and that Edwards “looks forward to having his name cleared.”

Edwards ultimately decided to drop out of the race a little over 48 hours after the release of the report, however. “After much prayer, thoughtful reflection, and many conversations with my family, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term,” he said. The congressman went on to thank his staff, voters and family for their support and did not address the report in his statement.

Edwards, who was first elected in 2022 and is serving his second term, had won the Republican primary earlier in 2026. The North Carolina 11th District Republican Executive Committee is expected to select a replacement candidate for the November ballot.

The district, which encompasses large swathes of the state’s west, currently has a rating of R+5, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index.

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