House censures Rep. Chuck Edwards for inappropriate conduct toward female staffers

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly 413-2 on September 1, 2026 to censure Republican Representative Chuck Edwards of North Carolina. A bipartisan Ethics Committee investigation found Edwards engaged in persistent inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers, including showering them with lavish gifts, sending romantic notes, and skipping floor votes to decorate a staffer's Christmas tree. While Edwards apologized to his wife and the staffers on the House floor, he fiercely denied committing sexual harassment. Edwards previously withdrew from his reelection bid, and state Representative Jennifer Balkcom was selected to replace him on the November ballot.

Claims

• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards sent a 22-page letter to his House colleagues arguing that his actions represented an affectionate friendship and did not violate formal House rules.
• ▪A panel of Republican leaders in North Carolina selected state Representative Jennifer Balkcom to replace Representative Chuck Edwards on the November 2026 ballot.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards stood in the well of the House chamber as Speaker Mike Johnson read the censure resolution aloud following the vote on September 1, 2026.
• ▪The 413-2 censure vote on September 1, 2026, represented a rare display of bipartisanship, with the entirety of the House Republican leadership team joining Democrats to support the resolution.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards is the 29th member in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives to be censured.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards apologized to his wife, Teresa, and his family on the House floor on September 1, 2026, for the embarrassment and public scrutiny caused by his actions.
• ▪The House Ethics Committee report found that Representative Chuck Edwards skipped a series of House floor votes to decorate a Christmas tree at the home of one of the female staffers.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards and Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina were the only two lawmakers who voted against the censure resolution on September 1, 2026.
• ▪The U.S. House of Representatives voted 413-2 on September 1, 2026 to censure Representative Chuck Edwards, a Republican representing western North Carolina.
• ▪The House Ethics Committee report detailed that Representative Chuck Edwards showered the female staffers with lavish gifts, including jewelry, designer purses, handguns, shoes, flowers, and tickets to the musical 'Hamilton'.
• ▪The House Ethics Committee found no evidence that Representative Chuck Edwards engaged in sexual activity with or explicitly propositioned the two female staffers.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards dropped his reelection campaign in western North Carolina in August 2026 following the release of the House Ethics Committee report.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards apologized directly to the two former female staffers on the House floor on September 1, 2026, expressing regret for putting them in uncomfortable positions.
• ▪Earlier in 2026, Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell and Republican Representative Tony Gonzales resigned from the House under pressure over separate sexual misconduct allegations.
• ▪The House Ethics Committee concluded that Representative Chuck Edwards engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers, creating a hostile work environment.
• ▪The House Ethics Committee is reviewing allegations that Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez of California engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a staffer, which Gomez maintains was consensual.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards arranged for a singer to perform Ed Sheeran's 'Hills of Aberfeldy' at a staffer's birthday party and say it was 'from a special someone,' according to the House Ethics Committee report.
• ▪The censure of Representative Chuck Edwards comes amid broader congressional scrutiny of sexual misconduct, which prompted House leaders to launch a bipartisan review to improve workplace safety for women.
• ▪Representative Chuck Edwards maintained on the House floor on September 1, 2026, that his actions did not constitute sexual harassment, stating that 'regret is not an admission of sexual harassment.'

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