US Rep. Chuck Edwards defeats Caleb Rudow, earning 2nd term in Congress
ASHEVILLE – Republican Chuck Edwards was reelected to his second two-year term in the House of Representatives Nov. 5, defeating Democrat Caleb Rudow in the general election.
The Associated Press called the election just after 10 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Edwards, 64, will continue to represent the state’s 11th District, which covers North Carolina's 15 western-most counties, many of which were ravaged by Tropical Storm Helene when it swept through the region Sept. 27.
After the race was called, Edwards told the Citizen Times that he had been “oblivious” to the fact that there was even an election.
“I've been wearing muddy boots, visiting communities, trying to find resources for people that have been affected by the storm,” Edwards told the Citizen Times at an election watch party held at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. “But I've known all along that there were folks out there, behind the scenes, working to help get me elected.”
Edwards added that he’s relieved the election is now over and that he can continue working for his constituents in Western North Carolina.
The Henderson County Republican served three terms in the North Carolina Senate prior to running for Congress in 2022, defeating then-incumbent Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary and Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara in the general election.
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This year, Edwards, who owns multiple McDonald’s franchises, defeated another primary opponent, Christian Reagan, a Clay County mortgage broker, before facing off against Rudow, who currently serves in the N.C. House of Representatives.
Addressing supporters at an election night watch party at Highland Brewing in Asheville, Rudow said his Congressional campaign was about “believing that if we keep working, we can do amazing things.”
“I got in this from the beginning because I knew the challenge, and I knew somebody had to run, and I knew our race could help all the amazing Democrats up and down the ballot,” Rudow said.
In the run-up to the 2024 election, Edwards declined to debate Rudow, who criticized Edwards in 2023 for opposing abortion access and introducing legislation to halt marijuana legalization in Cherokee, the Citizen Times previously reported.
Rudow, who campaigned on raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and providing universal health care, also said Edwards didn't do enough to help more than 1,000 laid-off workers from the Pactiv-Evergreen paper mill in Canton, in Haywood County, when the mill shut down in May 2023.
Rudow also ran on ensuring the U.S. reaches net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In the wake of Helene, both Edwards and Rudow said they would prioritize rebuilding the region, with Rudow pushing for both the state and U.S. lawmakers to pass significant funding bills.
“It’s frustrating to see both the North Carolina House and the U.S. House not take a quick step to bring more money and funding in,” Rudow told the Citizen Times Oct. 29.
At the federal level, Congress won’t consider additional funding for disaster victims until after the election.
Edwards told the Citizen Times Nov. 1 that he’s working to ensure the Federal Emergency Management Agency is doing “their job,” he said.
While Edwards stood up for the agency in early October, speaking out to debunk agency myths, he said he’s now “extremely disappointed” in FEMA and that oversight of the agency appears to be broken.
“I think the real problem starts there, in that FEMA is not truly accountable to Congress,” Edwards said.
Deirdra Funcheon contributed to this reporting.
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Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: US Rep. Edwards defeats Rudow, earning 2nd term in Congress for WNC