09/02/2026
BREAKING: House Votes 413-2 to Censure Rep. Chuck Edwards Over Unprofessional Conduct Toward Female Staffers
Nearly the entire House of Representatives just agreed on something. Chuck Edwards was wrong.
The House voted 413-2 to censure the North Carolina Republican over what the resolution described as unprofessional conduct toward female staffers, forcing him to stand alone in the well of the House chamber to hear the resolution read aloud, the traditional and humiliating format for a censure. Only Edwards himself and South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman voted against it.
Edwards didn't go quietly. He took to the House floor to defend himself before the vote. "Generosity is not sexual harassment. Caring deeply about the people with whom you've worked for years is not sexual harassment," he said. Afterward, he posted a statement standing by that defense while acknowledging some fault. "I have apologized for where my judgment fell short. But I will not confess to conduct I did not commit simply to make this moment easier. The House has spoken. So have I. I will leave this chapter with my head held high."
Edwards had already announced he wasn't seeking reelection before the censure vote took place. North Carolina Republicans have since selected state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to run for his seat in November, facing Democrat Jamie Ager.
When 413 members of a chamber that agrees on almost nothing all come together on one vote, that's not a partisan outcome. That's just the facts speaking for themselves.
