They chucked him

Republicans force Edwards out in NC-11

Republicans who have been bashing Democrats for pushing out flawed candidates after primaries but before the general election are about to disappear. Last night, Republican leaders pushed scandal-plagued Congressman Chuck Edwards out of his re-election campaign for NC-11. They have their sights on Ohio Representative Max Miller next. I doubt you will hear much criticism from within the ranks.

Edwards announced he is dropping out of the race in a 3am tweet. The House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured because he “created or fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment.” It was the final straw in a race where Edwards had struggled for a year.

Edwards’s Democratic opponent Jamie Ager has out-raised him and out-organized him. Recent polls have shown Ager leading Edwards in a district that was once considered safe Republican. Various political prognosticators have recently called the race a toss-up. We’ll see if a new candidate helps or hurts Ager’s chances.

Republicans will now pick a new candidate. Western North Carolina has several GOP legislators who might be strong candidates in a normal campaign, but starting a race in mid-August in a year that favors Democrats is not normal. Any legislator who runs would have to give up their seat in the legislature for an iffy shot at Congress. They would also be trading a seat in a likely GOP-majority legislative chamber for a back-bench role in the likely minority party in the US House.

In a broader context, the Edwards scandal is more bad news for the GOP in a year that’s already not working out for them. Whoever Republicans recruit will start from scratch — no money, no organization, no name recognition. The Republican Party campaign organizations — the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Republican National Committee, and their allies — will need to spend millions of dollars to get a campaign up and running with an election less than 90 days away.

In a good political environment, the task would be difficult. In this one, it’s daunting.

Republicans face an unfriendly economy, an unpopular war, and several emerging scandals. In the North Carolina Senate race, they have a weak candidate who has faced criticism from GOP operatives in western North Carolina. People in the district are still sore about the lack of support for hurricane relief from the Trump administration.

The Edwards debacle is just one more blow for a beleaguered GOP. They will lose at least a week finding a new candidate when they don’t have many weeks left. They will spend time, attention, and money launching a campaign at a time when they should be preparing for the post-Labor Day push. They will be introducing a new candidate while facing a popular and organized opponent who fits the district. They have a lot of catching up to do without much time to do it.