Politics

GOP chooses Balkcom as 11th District nominee

Jennifer Balkcom makes her pitch to be the Republican nominee for the 11th Congressional District in place of incumbent Chuck Edwards, who dropped his re-election campaign last week.

By Bill Moss, Published: August 10, 2026

The six-day roller coaster ride/horse race/speculation game that followed the stunning fall of U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards is over. Jennifer Capps Balkcom is the Republican nominee for the 11th Congressional District in what's now a nationally watched campaign.

“I’m blessed to receive the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District," Balkcom in an announcement via email Monday night under a GOP-red Jennifer Balkcom: U.S. House letterhead. "Western North Carolina is where I was born, raised, and chose to raise my own family. 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."

Regional, state and national GOP figures immediately applauded Balkcom's campaign.

“Jennifer has a proven track record fighting for Western North Carolina,” NCGOP executive director Zach Almond said in an interview Monday night. “She embodies Western North Carolina values. She has background in agriculture, finance, banking, and she'll make an excellent candidate for NC 11.”

Almond said Balkcom, the second-term state House member, mortage broker and married mother of one, was by far the choice of the executive committee in a vote that was “not remotely close.”

“She came over well,” he said. “She highlighted the work that she had already done in the North Carolina House, and the delegates responded overwhelmingly positive to that, given that she has a proven record of fighting for Western North Carolinians to stand up for their values. She highlighted her history in agriculture, her family's history in agriculture.”

Asked about the challenge of organizing a campaign and fundraising operation with just three months to go before the election, Almond brushed aside any concern.

“If anybody can fly the plane while they're building it, it's Jennifer," he said. "I think Jennifer will have the resources that she needs to win, and I also think she'll be a prolific fundraiser. Jennifer being the candidate changes this election fundamentally. She's a fantastic candidate. People are excited about voting for her and getting involved in her campaign.”

Ager, the Democratic nominee who has raised his party's hopes for flipping the seat from red to blue, said last Wednesday that the Republican name on the ballot was not a factor.,

"This campaign has never been about any one person. It’s always been about Western North Carolina and our communities getting the leadership and representation we deserve. That has not changed," he said in a statement. “For too long, we’ve been forgotten by politicians who sell us a false bill of goods, then go to Congress to treat D.C. as their personal playground while we get left behind. My heart goes out to the young women who took these roles to serve our community. No matter who we face in November, I’m confident we can win this race and deliver what I’ve been talking about since day one: Hurricane Helene recovery, lower costs, and an end to the corruption in Washington.”

EARLIER COVERAGE

WLOS-TV reported on Sunday that NCGOP executive director Zach Almond confirmed that Balkcom, Ken McKim, Chad Nesbitt, Matthew Burrill and Kristie Sluder were among candidates expected to make a bid for the nomination when the GOP's 11th Congressional District Committee meets on Monday night. 

Balkcom confirmed her interest in a run for Congress in a message to the Lightning Sunday night.

Balkcom said:

"For eight generations, my family has called Western North Carolina home," she said. "My roots run deep in these mountains, and the people, values, and way of life here are woven into every part of who I am. Serving the people of Western North Carolina in the State House has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

"I’m grateful for the outpouring of encouragement I’ve received to pursue the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District," she said. "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.

"Western North Carolina needs a strong voice right now. Our communities are still rebuilding from Hurricane Helene. Our farmers, families, and small businesses need someone who understands them. And too often, Washington simply doesn’t understand the people, values, and challenges of our mountains. So, after much prayer, reflection, and conversations with my family, I’m in. I will seek the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.

"This race is too important to sit out. We must hold this seat, preserve our mountain values, work with President Trump’s Administration to continue rebuilding Western North Carolina, and make sure Washington never forgets the people who call these mountains home.

"I’m a Henderson County farm girl. I know what it means to work hard, fight for what you believe in, and protect something so the next generation can inherit it. Those roots are why I fight so hard for this place - because Western North Carolina isn’t just where I live. It’s home. Western North Carolina is worth fighting for, and I'm ready to get to work."

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