# NC-11 — 2026 U.S. House Race > [!important] Rewritten 2026-09-28 — the June version of this page was wrong > It described Chuck Edwards as a running incumbent in a Likely R seat. He withdrew on Aug 5, the party replaced him on Aug 10, and Cook now rates the seat a **Toss Up**. **General election: [[Jamie Ager]] (D) vs. [[Jennifer Balkcom]] (R). Open seat. Cook: Toss Up (moved from Lean R on Sept 25, 2026).** Western North Carolina, anchored by Asheville, where Democratic strength and post-Hurricane-Helene recovery politics made the seat a target all cycle. Republican **Chuck Edwards** won it by ~13.6 points in 2024. ## How the seat opened - **Aug 3, 2026** — the House Ethics Committee found Edwards likely violated House rules on sexual harassment and a hostile workplace, concerning two young female staffers, and recommended that the full House censure him. His campaign said the day before his withdrawal that he expected his name to be cleared. - **Aug 5, 2026** — Edwards announced he was withdrawing from the race but would serve out his term. - **Aug 10, 2026** — the NC-11 Republican executive committee, choosing from six candidates, picked state Rep. **[[Jennifer Balkcom]]** (Henderson County) on the first ballot. North Carolina law lets the district committee fill a vacated nomination without a new primary. ## Candidates - **[[Jamie Ager]]** (D) — won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary. Sabato's Crystal Ball had already moved the seat Lean R → Toss-up before Edwards withdrew, citing Edwards' weak fundraising and a stronger showing from Ager. - **[[Jennifer Balkcom]]** (R) — state representative, selected by the district committee Aug 10 with less than three months to Election Day. ## Ratings - **Cook Political Report: Toss Up** — moved from Lean R on Sept 25, 2026, one of 15 House races Cook shifted toward Democrats that day. (The earlier Likely → Lean move was not recorded on this page.) - **Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up** — moved from Lean R before Aug 5. ## Related - [[2026 House Races Hub]] - [[NC-Sen-2026]] — North Carolina's marquee Senate race