Western North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards is under investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics, according to multiple reports, with allegations reportedly involving inappropriate sexual conduct. 

First reported by Axios on April 30, a Republican-led bipartisan panel authorized a review into claims against Edwards that have not been fully detailed publicly, but subsequent reporting indicates the probe may center on allegations of sexual harassment and a possible relationship with a former staff member. 

A new political ad marks a sharp escalation in the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, turning Hurricane Helene recovery into a central line of attack by accusing Whatley of overseeing delays of more than $100 million in disaster relief and framing the stalled aid as a failure of leadership, rather than of bureaucracy.

To the Editor:

Republicans are fiscally responsible. They lower taxes on working folks and make things less expensive. Republicans make our country safer. They care about the common folk. They run things like a business.

Right? Let’s look at our current situation. 

A leaked draft of the FEMA Review Council’s final report on reform of the disaster response agency appears to shift considerable burden onto states, local governments, tribes and territories (SLTTs) while slashing the agency’s workforce by 50%, positioning federal response in the rear and largely ignoring requests to send recovery funding down to the county level.

It was always more than just a place to pick up the mail. Long before asphalt and electronic highways reduced time and space to mere trivialities, a quieter system stitched scattered settlements together. The tiny Jackson County municipality of Webster grew up around that system, bringing residents together, creating a sense of identity and promising them that even remote mountain towns belonged to a wider republic. 

Incumbent Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards will go on to face Democratic nominee Jamie Ager in a high-profile contest later this year, after defeating his Primary Election opponent Adam Smith.

Fairview farmer Jamie Ager has prevailed in an 11th Congressional District Democratic Primary Election that drew unusual national attention and substantial investment.

Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District has been a Republican stronghold for more than a decade, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s decision to elevate Buncombe County farmer Jamie Ager into its first 2026 “Red to Blue” cohort amid a competitive Primary Election has turned the spotlight inward as much as outward. North Carolina Democrats aren't the only ones complaining. 

In a move that underscores shifting political terrain in Western North Carolina, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has placed a candidate in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District on its radar — an unusual step for a district long considered safely Republican.

To the Editor:

I sent this letter via email to our congressmen, Rep. Chuck Edwards and Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis.

In Bryson City, I'm preparing to vote in the Primary. We’re a poor county; most of the property is national forest and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Candidates for local offices are telling us how they plan to fund our outdated, worn-out infrastructure. There’s not enough sewer or water service for a new middle school, new housing or new business structures.