A committee of Republicans in North Carolina’s westernmost congressional district have chosen State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to replace US Rep. Chuck Edwards in the race to defend his seat against Buncombe County farmer Jamie Ager, the Democratic nominee.

Choosing Balkcom

Balkcom, who has served two terms in the state house, has less than 100 days until election day to campaign to keep the 11th District in Republican hands after the disgraced Edwards dropped his re-election bid because of misconduct with former staffers.

“This race is too important to sit out,” Balkcom said in a statement. “We must hold this seat, preserve our mountain values, work with President Trump’s Administration to continue rebuilding Western North Carolina, and make sure Washington never forgets the people who call these mountains home.”

The Executive Committee for the Republican Party in NC-11 had an emergency meeting Tuesday in Asheville to decide who would replace Rep. Edwards in the congressional race for the district. At the meeting, committee members made nominations and voted on them until more than half of the committee decided on Balkcom.

Edwards Leaves the Race

Last Wednesday, Edwards announced his decision to drop his reelection bid for the 11th Congressional District, which came days after the House Ethics Committee recommended censuring him for inappropriate behavior towards two young, female staffers.

Ager’s campaign doesn’t see Balkcom as any different from Edwards. Grayson Barnette, Ager’s campaign manager, said this vacancy is just another in a string of issues for the NC-11 seat.

Original reporting: Carolina Public Press — read the source article.