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Republican leaders pick Walsh as nominee for NC House District 117

By Amy McCraw, Published: August 13, 2026

Party leaders of Henderson County on Thursday night chose Chelsea Walsh as the Republican nominee for state House District 117 in place of incumbent Jennifer Capps Balkcom, who was tapped on Monday night to be the GOP's nominee for the 11th Congressional District.

Walsh, former chair of the Henderson County Republican Party, Linda Odom Pryor, who raises apples, hay, corn and cattle along with her husband on their Edneyville farm, had both announced in recent days that they want to be considered to replace Balkcom when the Henderson County Republican Party’s executive committee.

Adam Smith, the Republican who lost to U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards in the March 3 primary, also was a candidate for the state House nomination. After a first ballot eliminated Pryor, members of the county executive committee chose Walsh on a second ballot. 

Edwards's announcement last Wednesday morning that he was dropping his re-election campaign set off a scramble to fill his slot on the ballot and, then, when Balkcom was the choice, to fill hers.

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"I’m not a politician, I’m a farmer, a businesswoman, a wife and mother who understands what it means to work hard, solve problems, communicate with everyone, and be accountable," Pryor said in a text message sent to the Lightning early Tuesday.
Pryor has been active in the public service and outreach arm of the State Farm Bureau locally and statewide and in the farmland preservation that's now resulted in a $20 million ag preservation bond on the Nov. 3 ballot.
"Growing up in Bat Cave and now living in Edneyville, my life and career have been built in our community," she said. "Along the way, volunteer service has been a constant in my life. From helping neighbors after Helene tore through our area to mentoring Henderson County Public School students through the Pathfinders program, I have always believed we have an obligation to give back, to use our time, talents, and experiences to leave our community better than we found it.
"I believe in conservative principles: limited and accountable government, fiscal responsibility, individual freedoms, strong families, and protecting the values and way of life that make Henderson County such a special place."
She thanked those who have reached out to encourage and support her bid.
"To those of you who don’t know me yet, I look forward to meeting you, learning about you, and earning your vote," she said. "My roots may be in agriculture, but my commitment is to every person who calls District 117 home."
Walsh, who is the owner and agent at Covenant Protection Insurance Services, announced her interest in the seat in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
“Over the past week or so, I have had multiple people reach out and encourage me to throw my hat in the ring. To say I am humbled by their confidence in me would be an understatement,” Walsh said in the post.
She said in the post that she intended to meet with the GOP’s executive committee before it votes tonight.
“With their vote, God willing, it would be an honor to represent the people of our district in Raleigh,” she said.
Walsh ran unsuccessfully and ran unsuccessfully for the Hendersonville City Council in 2021 and lost to Balkcom for the N.C. 117 seat in 2022 
Some local Republican leaders including former Henderson County Sheriff George H. Erwin Jr., former Henderson County Commissioner Marilyn Gordon and Michele Woodhouse, who ran in the 2022 Republican primary for the 11th Congressional District, responded to Walsh’s Facebook post with encouragement and support.
It was unclear Thursday afternoon if any other candidates for the N.C. 117 seat will be considered at the meeting tonight.