Edwards prevails in NC-11
North Carolina's 11th Congressional District contains the westernmost counties in the state.
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First-term incumbent Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) will go on to face Democrat Caleb Rudow in the November General Election after defeating fellow Republican and Hayesville businessman Christian Reagan in the March 5 Primary Election.
Edwards sent out a campaign email at around 9 p.m. while enjoying a commanding lead but with less than half of the district-wide vote reported.
Reagan, viewed as a long shot, performed better than many expected and had claimed just over 30% of the vote by 9:15 p.m. with 195 of 292 precincts reporting.
In the 2022 Primary Election, Edwards defeated incumbent Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Henderson) by 1,384 votes, or about 1.5%, after a bruising eight-candidate contest that largely centered on Cawthorn’s job performance and personal indiscretions.
In that election, 88,258 Republican ballots were cast.
Edwards then defeated Democratic Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara in November by more than 30,000 votes, good for a 9.3% edge. Libertarian David Coatney trailed them both with 1.7%.
Rudow was unopposed in the Democratic Primary, the first time that’s happened since incumbent Heath Shuler (D-Swain) ran for reelection in 2008.
