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Rep. Chuck Edwards drops reelection bid after sexual harassment allegations

Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina dropped his bid for a third term early Wednesday, days after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured after concluding there is “substantial reason to believe” he violated House rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.

“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards posted on social media. “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 House Ethics Committee said in its report that Edwards “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.” It said it found that Edwards engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” 

Edwards has denied any wrongdoing, which was also noted by the Ethics Committee report. 

A statement on behalf of the Edwards campaign said the findings “completely exonerate Representative Edwards under the House rules governing sexual misconduct or harassment.”

“They concluded that he neither engaged in sexual activity with nor explicitly propositioned any individual staff member. They concluded that the allegations in this matter do not implicate quid pro quo sexual harassment. They concluded he did not violate federal sexual harassment law,” the statement said, adding that Edwards “looks forward to having his name cleared.” 

The allegations against Edwards come months after former Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales resigned after being accused of sexual misconduct. Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee on Tuesday announced it would be investigating Rep. Max Miller, who is accused of domestic abuse and possible drug use. Miller had denied the domestic abuse allegations and said he had a prescription for drugs. He said Tuesday that he would be staying in his reelection race.

Edwards, first elected in 2022, had ousted former Rep. Madison Cawthorn to represent Asheville and other parts of North Carolina. Democrat Jamie Ager, who won the March primary, is the Democrat on the ballot. 

Although the district has not elected a Democrat since 2010, Democrats believe it could be competitive this cycle. 

Nigel Farage wins election in which his main rival was a trash can

By CNN
(CNN) — When voters in the English seaside constituency of Clacton went to the polls on Thursday, they ostensibly had more choice than in any other election in British history.Thirty-four candidates stood in this by-election, the equivalent of a US special election, making the ballot paper 3 feet long. But almost all the country’s half-dozen major political parties declined to participate, with only the populist hard-right Reform UK party fielding a candidate – its leader Nigel Farage.Farage was ultimately re-elected by a substantial margin, winning 22,239 votes. He had declined to attend the results ceremony, citing a police warning about a campaign to disrupt it.His main opponent, Count Binface – a self-described intergalactic space warrior dressed as a trash can – won a creditable 9,455 votes.But this election, rather than helping to solve Farage’s problems as he perhaps hoped, has only added to them.The country’s chief anti-immigrant activist and Brexit architect, Farage was already the member of parliament (MP) for Clacton but resigned from parliament – triggering the by-election – after facing unprecedented scrutiny over his finances. Those challenging him were Binface and 32 other fringe or novelty candidates.The spectacle promptly became an object of ridicule, derided as a “circus” by commentators, while the claims over Reform’s finances refuse to go away. At the same time, Farage faces both a split in his natural coalition of voters and a more formidable opponent in Britain’s new center-left prime minister, Andy Burnham. Such headwinds are unfamiliar for Reform, which had previously been in the ascendancy, leading national opinion polls and enjoying historic gains in local elections.Novelty candidatesFarage resigned as Clacton’s MP six weeks ago, as a steady drumbeat of allegations surrounding his and his party’s financing forced him to confront questions he hadn’t previously had to answer in his political career.He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and said: “I’ve decided the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions” when triggering the by-election.Farage sought to frame the contest as him taking on the establishment. But, said Tim Bale, a professor at Queen Mary University of London who studies right-wing politics, “it’s not worked because the other political parties … declared they wouldn’t stand, meaning the … framing has been him versus a bunch of novelty candidates.”And holding an election has opened Farage to criticism over its cost, which is expected to be around £250,000 ($338,000). The public is legally bound to pay that, despite Farage’s protestations that Reform would foot the bill.Before Farage resigned, he was facing an investigation by the parliamentary standards committee and that inquiry will resume now he has been re-elected. If it finds he breached parliamentary guidelines, that will trigger a process which could ultimately lead to another by-election. The other major parties would be expected to field candidates in that vote.Challenge from the rightWhile Farage is caught in this election spin-cycle, the grip he holds over his voter base is also faltering. Reform is now facing a challenge from its right flank as the newly established party Restore Britain – founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe – siphons off a small but significant portion of voters.Lowe, who has a longstanding feud with Farage, was forced out of the party last year and subsequently started his own, egged on by US billionaire businessman Elon Musk. Now sensing an opening, Lowe has sought to form an alliance with Farage, conditioned on Farage accepting some of Restore’s more extreme policies. Farage has not so far appeared keen to bury the hatchet.“A pact would be tricky because Restore’s policies are so extreme that adopting them would make Reform less attractive to voters who aren’t really into the whole far-right package,” Bale told CNN.All this comes against the backdrop of a new national government. Labour leader Burnham is more popular than his predecessor Keir Starmer and has already proven his ability to take on Reform during his successful return to parliament earlier this summer.In this by-election, Farage has only proven his ability to defeat an intergalactic space warrior with an upturned trash can on his head. Of course, Count Binface is not actually from space; he is a satirical character created by the comedian Jon Harvey, and has stood in several other elections.“Until August 13th, I want it to be absolutely clear that there is nowhere at all that matters to me more in the cosmos than Clacton,” he told CNN’s Max Foster from his “starship,” which he said he had transformed using a holodeck “to create the precise look of a budget hotel in Clacton.” Farage did not respond to an interview request from CNN.Binface’s manifesto is packed with national in-jokes, like promising to “cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s,” nationalize the singer Adele and impose a “windfall tax on cosy crime novels written (or ‘written’) by celebrities.”Outlandish costumesBinface is just one in a long line of satirical candidates dating back more than six decades, who have become a unique staple of British elections. Almost anyone can run for parliament in the UK – only a £500 ($675) deposit and 10 supporters of the bid are needed – allowing for people to make their joke, or point, without too much trouble.The tradition took hold in 1963, when a young musician later known as Screaming Lord Sutch stood in a by-election. He would contest 41 parliamentary seats in all, including against three sitting prime ministers, and founded the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in 1982, according to its website.None of the party’s candidates — think Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and its current leader, Howling Laud Hope — have ever been elected to Westminster. But it inspired others to follow in its footsteps, and its three candidates in Clacton together took 61 votes.Behind the jokes, some campaigns have carried serious messages, like a man dressed as a fox advocating for animal rights who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Burnham when the former Manchester mayor returned to parliament in June.Several of the late Sutch’s policies, such as lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and legalizing commercial radio, were eventually enacted. Still, some have derided the spectacle of novelty candidates.As for Binface, his vow to be a unity candidate was not enough to win, despite his pre-vote bravado.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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