Incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped out of the race after a House Ethics report determined he had behaved inappropriately with young, female staffers.
House Democrats celebrated their first seat-flip of the night in a rural North Carolina district, where Jamie Ager defeated Republican Jennifer Balkcom.
Ager comes from a political dynasty. His grandfather was a two-term congressman in the same district, NC-11. His father served for eight years in the state legislature, and his brother is a current state lawmaker.
He touted himself as a fourth-generation farmer who would “take on corporate greed” and support a ban on insider trading, the Carolina Journal reported.
Although the seat has been reliably red for the past 35 years, it was ruled a toss-up coming into the Tuesday election.
The seat opened up after incumbent GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards withdrew from the race following a House Ethics report that alleged he had behaved inappropriately with young female staffers.
Edwards defeated former Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the 2022 GOP primary after Cawthorn, a vocal Trump supporter, became a target of Democrat smear campaigns.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
