Chuck Edwards

On Monday night, Jim Fulton, the Republican Party chair in Buncombe County, N.C., received a call from an aide for Representative Chuck Edwards, whose re-election campaign was spiraling after the House Ethics Committee documented his troubling conduct toward two young female aides.

Mr. Fulton said he was told that evening it was still “full steam ahead.” He was given campaign signage to put up.

Then at 3:32 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr. Edwards announced he was dropping out.

“There was already a lot of work to do” to get Mr. Edwards back on track, Mr. Fulton said Wednesday. “Now,” he added, “there’s a lot more.”

Even without scandal, the race in western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District had turned competitive. Jamie Ager, the Democratic candidate, had been making hay of his background as a farmer with deep roots in a region that has been reliably red for decades but has shifted left in recent election cycles.

Now, just over 12 weeks before Election Day, Republicans are scrambling to find a candidate. The Republican executive committee of North Carolina’s 11th district — which includes dozens of members, such as county party chairs — will meet next Monday to pick a new nominee.

Several state legislators are possible replacements, but no clear front-runner has emerged, committee members involved in the process said. There was, however, widespread understanding that the road ahead would be steep.

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