(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) has dropped his reelection bid, days after a House Ethics Committee report found he violated Congress’ rules against sexual harassment.
“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards said in an X post. “I will complete my current term. Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America.”
The announcement came amid a slew of allegations against the congressman as the Ethics Committee’s report found Edwards failed “to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers” and urged his censure, Axios reported.
Just this week, The Charlotte Observer’s deputy opinion editor Paige Masten posted on X that Edwards told a female staffer he was “beyond thrilled” to skip votes and cancel town halls to help her decorate her Christmas tree.
Other explosive details emerging from reporting by Axios’s Kate Santaliz included allegations that Edwards gave female staffers “personalized handguns” as gifts and once recited a poem to an “uncomfortable” young woman.
Edwards, 65, has denied any wrongdoing in the Ethics Committee’s probe. He told Axios in May that the sexual harassment allegations against him were “horsesh*t.”
Edwards was one of many current and former lawmakers recently investigated by the House Ethics Committee, including Lance Gooden (R-TX), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Tony Gonzalez (R-TX), Cory Mills (R-FL), and Nancy Mace (R-SC).
Edwards, who represents North Carolina’s 11th District, was elected in November 2022 after defeating Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The post BREAKING: Embatted House Republican Won’t Seek Reelection Amid House Ethics Probe first appeared on Mediaite.
