U.S. House of Representatives District 11

The 11th District is the westernmost of North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts. Like the state’s other U.S. House districts, it was recently redrawn by Republican state legislators and leans in favor of the GOP. The district has 16 counties and is anchored by Democratic Buncombe County and surrounded by GOP districts. The last three representatives have been Republicans, including current Congressman Chuck Edwards. House members serve two-year terms. The legislature has 218 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and four vacancies.

Chuck Edwards, Republican (sitting)

• Age: 63
• Residence: Flat rock
• Occupation: owner of McDonald’s franchises, investor in commercial and residential real estate
• Previously held positions: Three two-year terms in the North Carolina State Senate. First two-year term in the House of Representatives.
• Positions on key issues: Edwards controversially defeated Madison Cawthorn in the GOP primary en route to his 2022 victory, quickly scoring key appointments to oversight and appropriations committees. Like many Republicans, Edwards’ top issue is closing a border he says is open to “cartels, drug trafficking, gangs, human trafficking, terrorists.” He supports Israeli military action in Gaza but disagrees with most Republicans on Ukraine, voting to help the country in its fight against Russia. Edwards has tried to block the legalization of recreational marijuana in the Cherokee and called abortion rights an “abomination.”
• Campaign news: Edwards was sanctioned by a bipartisan commission for using mass voter mailings to launch political attacks. He has criticized the far-right wing of his party and recently announced that a $32 million Army Reserve facility will be built at WNC.

Caleb Rudow, Democrat

• Age: 37
• Residence: Asheville
• Occupation: Data Scientist
• Previously held positions: 1 1/2 terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives. (Each term lasts two years.)
• Positions on key issues: Appointed to complete the NC House term of long-retired Asheville liberal Susan Fisher. Elected to a full term in 2022, Rudow supported teacher pay raises and a bill that offered “unequivocal support” to Israel. In Congress, Rudow said he would support “working families” by voting to raise the minimum wage, reinstate the child benefit, add federal money to public education, support affordable housing and overhaul taxes so that working families “are not subsidizing corporations and the ultra-wealthy.” He supports a federal law guaranteeing access to abortion.
• Campaign news: Rudow criticized Edwards’ border position and said Republicans should support the bipartisan Senate bill, which was defeated after Republican Donald Trump feared it would harm his presidential bid.

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years and covers politics, government and other news. He has written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police brutality. Have a tip? Contact Burgess at [email protected], 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter.