Chuck Edwards

For other persons with similar names, see Charles Edwards (disambiguation).
Chuck Edwards
Official portrait, 2023
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byMadison Cawthorn
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 48th district
In office
August 19, 2016 – January 1, 2023
Preceded byTom Apodaca
Succeeded byTim Moffitt
Personal details
Born
Charles Marion Edwards

(1960-09-13) September 13, 1960 (age 64)
Waynesville, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseTeresa Edwards
Children2 (1 deceased)
EducationBlue Ridge Community College
WebsiteHouse website

Charles Marion Edwards[1] (born September 13, 1960)[2] is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 48th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2016 to 2023.[3][4]

Early life and education

Edwards was born in Waynesville, North Carolina. He graduated from West Henderson High School in 1978 and studied business, accounting, and marketing at Blue Ridge Community College.[5]

Career

Edwards' state senatorial portrait, c. 2019

Edwards joined McDonald's in 1989, working as an operations manager until 1991, senior business consultant from 1991 to 1996, and development coordinator from 1996 to 1998. He also worked as the vice president of Henderson County Partners for Economic Progress.[6] In 2013, he became a director of Entegra Financial Corporation.[7] In 2020, Entegra merged with First Citizens Bank.[8]

Edwards was appointed to the North Carolina Senate in August 2016 after Tom Apodaca resigned. He defeated Democratic nominee Norman Bossert in 2016, and was reelected in 2018 and 2020.[9] In 2024, Edwards held a ceremony and awarded Donald Trump with a French Fry Certification Pin, an award that he invented.[10]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2022

Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina § District 11

On November 30, 2021, Edwards declared his candidacy for North Carolina's 11th congressional district in the 2022 election.[11] The district was represented by freshman Republican incumbent Madison Cawthorn. Cawthorn faced numerous scandals, had made a number of controversial statements, and was criticized by Edwards as an ineffective legislator.[12] Edwards was also endorsed by U.S. Senator Thom Tillis.

On May 17, 2022, Edwards defeated Cawthorn in the Republican primary with 33.4% of the vote.[13] Although he lost 12 of the district's 15 counties, he carried Buncombe, its most populous, by over 2,000 votes, exceeding his overall margin of 1,338. Edwards also defeated Cawthorn in Henderson County by 3,191 votes. Henderson County is home to both Edwards and Cawthorn.[14]

Committee assignments

Source:[15]

Caucus memberships

Source:[15]

Political positions

Edwards voted, with the 412–10 bipartisan majority, to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[16][17]

In January 2024, Edwards introduced legislation which would prevent immigrants from being counted by the United States census, for the purposes of determining the United States congressional apportionment.[18] In February 2024, Edwards posted a picture on X of a large migrant caravan in Mexico in order to criticize the immigration policies of the Biden administration, suggesting that Joe Biden was at fault for the migrants in the picture immigrating to the United States. However, the picture was taken in 2018, during the administration of Donald Trump.[19][20]

Acting on a complaint filed by the Henderson County (North Carolina) Democratic Party, Edwards was sanctioned by the House of Representatives Communications Standards Commission on April 24, 2024, for making personal attacks against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in email newsletters sent to constituents in May, June, July and December, 2023.[21] Such attacks are prohibited by federal law and by rules of the House of Representatives when they are sent out as "mass communications" at taxpayer expense.[22]

Asked in 2025 whether he supported Trump's push to forcibly annex Canada and Greenland, Edwards answered, "No, I do not."[23]

Electoral history

U.S. House of Representatives

North Carolina's 11th congressional district, 2022 Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Chuck Edwards 29,496 33.4
Republican Madison Cawthorn (incumbent) 28,112 31.9
Republican Matthew Burril 8,341 9.5
Republican Bruce O'Connell 6,037 6.8
Republican Rod Honeycutt 5,775 6.5
Republican Michele Woodhouse 4,668 5.3
Republican Wendy Nevarez 4,525 5.1
Republican Kristie Sluder 1,304 1.5
Total votes 88,258 100.0
North Carolina's 11th congressional district, 2022 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Chuck Edwards 174,232 53.8
Democratic Jasmine Beach-Ferrara 144,165 44.5
Libertarian David Coatney 5,515 1.7
Total votes 323,912 100.0
Republican hold
North Carolina's 11th congressional district, 2024 General Election[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Chuck Edwards (incumbent) 245,546 56.8
Democratic Caleb Rudow 186,977 43.2
Total votes 432,523 100.0
Republican hold

Personal life

Edwards and his wife, Teresa, have had two children. In 2018, his 36 year old son died from firearm suicide after a lengthy period of untreated depression, leaving a baby daughter and wife behind. Despite this, Edwards is still a staunch gun rights supporter.[25]

References

  1. ^ Quay, Grayson (May 19, 2022). "Meet the man who defeated Madison Cawthorn". The Week. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "North Carolina New Members 2023". The Hill. November 17, 2022. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  3. ^ "Chuck Edwards replaces Tom Apodaca, will complete Apodaca's term". WLOS News 13. Associated Press. August 24, 2016. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "Senator Chuck Edwards - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly". North Carolina General Assembly. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  5. ^ "Chuck Edwards". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  6. ^ Moss, Bill (January 29, 2013). "Henderson County Business: Small business background preps Edwards for Chamber role - Hendersonville Lightning". www.hendersonvillelightning.com. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  7. ^ "Charles Edwards' Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  8. ^ "First Citizens Bank Completes Merger With Entegra Financial Corp., Entegra Bank". www.firstcitizens.com. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  9. ^ "Chuck Edwards". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Nicholls, Flynn (2024-10-22). "Donald Trump given McDonald's award in hurricane-"obliterated town"". Newsweek. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  11. ^ King, Kimberly (November 30, 2021). "Republicans eye open seats after Sen. Edwards announces congressional run". WLOS News 13. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  12. ^ "Rep. Madison Cawthorn's primary challenger Chuck Edwards wants to focus on results for North Carolina — not his opponent's many scandals". Business Insider.
  13. ^ Ulloa, Jazmine (2022-05-18). "Madison Cawthorn loses his re-election bid after a deluge of scandals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  14. ^ "NC SBE Election Contest Details". Archived from the original on 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
  15. ^ a b "Committees and Caucuses". edwards.house.gov. Archived from the original on March 5, 2025.
  16. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (2023-10-25). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  17. ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (2023-10-25). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-10-30.{cite web}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ King, Kimberly (January 25, 2024). "Congressman Chuck Edwards introduces legislation targeting immigrants". WLOS. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  19. ^ Zurick, Maura (February 13, 2024). "Republican Congressman's Meme About Border on Biden's Watch Backfires". Newsweek. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  20. ^ Moye, David (February 14, 2024). "GOP Rep. Blames Biden For Border Issues Using Pic Taken During Trump Era". Yahoo. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  21. ^ WLOS Staff (2024-04-25). "Rep. Chuck Edwards sanctioned by House commission over communications rules violation". WLOS. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  22. ^ "The House of Representatives Communications Standards Manual" (PDF).
  23. ^ "Trump's quest to conquer Canada is confusing everyone". NBC News. 2025-03-14.
  24. ^ "11/05/2024 OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  25. ^ "Today@NCCapitol: Moment of silence". WRAL.com. 2018-05-22. Archived from the original on 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 48th district
2016–2023 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 11th congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
314th 		Succeeded by