U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, arrives for a House Republican caucus assembly on the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2025, in Washington.
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U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, is under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics for sexual harassment, NCS reported Thursday.
The exact nature of the allegations against Edwards have not been disclosed by official sources, and Edwards is denying any wrongdoing.
His political adviser, Paul Shumaker, read Edwards’ statement by phone to McClatchy: “I welcome any investigation, given the professionalism my staff has demonstrated and my commitment to serving the people of Western North Carolina. Given the current political environment we are facing in our nation, it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”
Shumaker provided few details but said Edwards learned about the investigation through Axios, which first reported on it.
NCS wrote that the ethics committee “was recently contacted by a witness, who described having witnessed improper behavior.”
“It’s a bunch of nothing about nothing,” Shumaker added. “I know Chuck Edwards.”
He added that because of the political environment, he expects to see more allegations about other members of Congress to surface. Several lawmakers have come under ethics investigations in recent weeks, prompting three resignations from the House.
Rep. Alma Adams, a Democrat from Charlotte, was also among those recently revealed to be the subject of an ethics investigation. Adams said the 2023 investigation found no violations.
Edwards, 65, of Flat Rock, represents 16 of North Carolina’s southwestern counties in the 11th Congressional District.
Edwards faces reelection
He is considered the second-most vulnerable member of Congress from North Carolina on the ballot despite being in a district that elected President Donald Trump by 9.5 points.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was already campaigning off the revelations Friday, saying in a news release: “Chuck Edwards has proven to be an untrustworthy failure in Congress, and North Carolinians deserve the truth.”
Multiple groups that rank congressional districts have Edwards’ district as “likely Republican,” but his Democratic opponent, Jamie Ager, is giving him a run for his money.
Ager, a fourth-generation farmer and the brother, son and grandson of state and federal lawmakers, past and present, outraised Edwards $750,000 to $140,000 and has $1.1 million cash on hand over Edwards’ $490,000.
Edwards was first elected to Congress in 2022 after serving three terms in the N.C. Senate beginning in 2016.
Outside of his political career, he’s the owner of several McDonald’s franchises, which he reported as valued between $5 million and $25 million on his 2024 financial disclosure report. He also has several other assets and income sources.
His constituents expected Edwards to bring a steady presence to an office that hadn’t had stability since 2020.
In March of that year, Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, then a resident of Cashiers, resigned from Congress to become Trump’s chief of staff. He would later face charges for his alleged involvement in trying to overturn the 2020 election results. The charges were dropped after Trump took office again in 2025.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a Republican from Hendersonville, succeeded Meadows in 2021, becoming the youngest member of Congress in a century.
But Cawthorn lost to Edwards in a primary after he constantly kept his district in the news either with personal scandals like bringing a gun into an airport or a surfaced explicit video, or statements he made like calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a thug or accusing his colleagues of drug-fueled orgies.
Edwards, by contrast, had the rare distinction of being named as a freshman to the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on the Budget.
He hired staff who knew the district and had Capitol Hill experience.
Edwards sanctioned in 2024
But in June 2024, Edwards faced sanctions from the House Communications Standards Commission after he sent four emailed newsletters attacking President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Franked mail is used for congressional business and cannot be used to attack political parties or individuals.
A year later, in May 2025, Edwards was accused of striking a man with a clipboard at a Rotary event after the man had criticized Edwards for using his speech for political purposes, which typically isn’t permitted at Rotary.
At the time, many of Edwards’ key staffers had left his office.
As of April 2026, Edwards has lost all but two staff members from his original team, according to Legistorm. Both work in his district office.
Edwards is married to his wife, Teresa.
Danielle Battaglia is the congressional influence reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, main protection of the influence of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and the White House. Her profession has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms the place she has coated crime, courts and native, state and nationwide politics. She has gained two McClatchy President’s awards and quite a few nationwide and state awards for her work.