House Republican leaders are privately working to convince Rep. Chuck Edwards to abandon his reelection bid for a competitive North Carolina seat after an ethics report dropped against the congressman Monday, two people familiar with internal discussions told CNN.
Top House Republicans were sent scrambling when the chamber’s ethics panel released a monthslong investigation that found “substantial evidence” the congressman repeatedly made unwanted advances toward two female staffers. The panel took the rare step of recommending that the full House vote to punish Edwards.
House members are in their home districts for August recess. The earliest a vote would take place would be in September, but GOP leaders believe it will succeed and would further damage his reelection prospects. The fears come as they’re increasingly worried his western North Carolina seat could flip in November.
It’s not yet clear whether Edwards will heed the calls. A spokesman for his campaign said Monday that the ethics committee’s findings “completely exonerate Representative Edwards under the House rules governing sexual misconduct or harassment” and that its conclusion showed the congressman “did not violate federal sexual harassment law.”
