There is a new candidate on the November ballot vying to represent the 11th congressional district in Congress.
On Monday night, Republicans shared that Jennifer Balkcom, who has served two terms representing the 117th House district in the North Carolina General Assembly, will replace U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards on the ballot.
“I’m blessed to receive the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District. Western North Carolina is where I was born, raised, and chose to raise my own family,” Balkcom said in a press release after the decision.
“It has been an incredible honor to fight for Henderson County in Raleigh, and I will take that fight to Washington and work every single day to make life more affordable for working families, improve community safety, support our farmers, and ensure we have the resources we need to continue to recover from Hurricane Helene.”
Edwards announced he would not continue his re-election campaign following an ethics committee investigation which alleged sexual harassment and a toxic work environment. He trailed his challenger, Democrat Jamie Ager, three-to-one in fundraising. Despite the fundraising advantage, pundits expected a tough race for the Republican-leaning 11th district which covers fifteen and a half counties, an area bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
Before the vote, Balkcom wrote in an August 9 statement that it was time for her to step up.
“I hadn’t planned to go to Washington. But I’ve learned throughout my life that when your community needs you, you don’t sit on the sidelines; you step up,” Balkcom, a mortgage loan officer, said.
Her voter registration showed Balkcom voted in Democratic primaries until 2016. She addressed the change in her statement Monday evening.
“Like many Americans, the Democrat Party left me behind when they abandoned their values and embraced extremism. We’re seeing that extremism play out across the country, as their party nominates radical socialists who want to raise taxes, open our borders, and do away with our way of life,” Balkcom said in her statement. “We must prevent that radical agenda from reaching our government, and that starts right here in the Eleventh District.”
In the state House, Balkcom advocated for parents’ rights, Helene recovery and school choice. She was the primary sponsor on bills including Back the Blue Pay Act, and the Sentence Enhancement/Immigration Related Crimes measure. She also sponsored the Women’s Safety and Protection Act which defined biological sex and gender and included specifications such as legally requiring the sex on a person’s drivers license to match their birth certificate.
How was Balkcom chosen?
The NC-11 GOP committee that selected Balkcom included 61 representatives from each county GOP party in NC-11. Analysis of the committee members showed the majority were from Buncombe County, the county with the largest population in the district.
A similar process happened earlier this year when Rep. Mike Clampitt died, and Republican leaders selected current-Rep. Anna Ferguson.
“Representative Jennifer Balkcom is exactly the kind of leader Western North Carolina needs fighting for us in Washington,” Merry Guy, the 11th District’s Republican chair, told the News & Observer. “She understands the people and communities of this district, and she is ready to stand up for our families, protect our values, and fight for the issues that matter most to Western North Carolina.”
Recent campaign finance reporting showed Edwards with less than $1 million funding, trailing Ager who raised more than $3 million. The Edwards campaign is not required to move the funds to Balkcom’s campaign. Edwards did not respond to questions about the funding.
In her race to keep her seat in the state House, Balkcom’s campaign showed almost $68,000 cash on hand, with $55,500 dollars from Balkcom’s personal loans.
What happens in NC-117?
Balkcom can finish her term in the state House while she campaigns for higher office. Because she won the Republican primary for her state seat, state law requires the district executive committee of the political party - in this case Henderson County - to appoint another candidate to fill the vacancy.
According to state law, the committee must make its selection at least 75 days before the general election, which would be August 20.
A few names of Republicans are already being floated to take the NC-117 spot. Chris Wilson who lost to Balkcom in the primary could revive his campaign.
Edneyville farmer Linda Odom Pryor declared her desire for the candidacyin a social media post on Tuesday morning. Former Henderson County manager Steve Wyatt could also be under consideration.
The Republican candidate will face Democrat Lynne Russo. A relative newcomer to WNC, Russo has been campaigning with Jamie Ager and his brother, N.C. House Rep. Eric Ager, particularly around the rebuilding of Bat Cave and Gerton after Hurricane Helene.
Following the Balkcom announcement, Russo shared on social media that she is ready to run regardless of the GOP’s pick.
“While Republicans scramble to choose a new candidate and build a campaign, we'll keep doing exactly what we've been doing: showing up, listening, and working for the people of Western North Carolina,” Russo wrote. “We are organized. We are ready. And we have an extraordinary opportunity to flip this seat in November.”
Russo received a $500 fine for failure to submit campaign finance reports on time at the end of May, according to documents from the State Board of Elections. The campaign submitted a waiver to dispute the claim that was denied by the State Board of Elections in July.
In the most recent report filed in July, Russo's campaign had almost $22,000 in cash on hand with about $38,000 coming from individual campaign contributions. There are no personal loans listed in the report.
State Republican leaders rally behind Balkcom
With less than 90 days before the election, North Carolina Republicans are rallying behind Balkcom as she kicks off her campaign.
N.C. House Speaker Destin Hall endorsed Balkcom on Monday afternoon before the committee meeting.
“Jennifer is a principled conservative, a tireless advocate for her district, and a leader who gets things done,” Hall wrote in a statement. “I know she’ll take that same determination to DC and fight for the people of WNC. She’s the right person at the right time, and she will win in November.”
U.S. Sen. Ted Budd endorsed Balkcom on Monday evening.
“Jennifer Balkcom fights every day for the people of WNC, whether it’s disaster recovery, supporting farmers, or standing up for women & girls. I’m endorsing Jennifer because she’ll bring the values & strength of WNC to D.C., work to grow our economy, & always stand up for NC-11,” Budd wrote in a statement.
Following Balkcom’s announcement, the National Republican Congressional Committee also sent out a statement in support of her campaign.
“Congratulations to Jennifer Balkcom! As a North Carolina State Representative, Jennifer is ready to hit the ground running and deliver results for Western North Carolina. In Congress, Jennifer will help Republicans deliver a strong economy, support North Carolina farmers, and maintain a secure border,” NRCC Spokesman Reilly Richardson said in a statement.
This article first appeared on NCLocal and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
