Chuck Edwards

“I’ve heard that state Sen. Kevin Corbin is throwing his name around, and then I heard the same for state Sen. Tim Moffitt, both of these guys were state House members, and they’re state senators now,” Wayne King, former chief of staff to Mark Meadows, told the Washington Examiner.

Corbin confirmed to the Washington Examiner that he is also interested in the race and has been receiving calls on the matter. Corbin said the main factor in his decision will be his family, but he has yet to talk to them since Edwards dropped out.

Corbin is serving his third term in the North Carolina Senate, and said he is not sure if he is ready to give up his seat to run for Congress. His legislative district spans much of the western part of the congressional district.

Moffitt did not respond when contacted by the Washington Examiner. He is serving his second term in the North Carolina Senate, where much of his district falls in the 11th Congressional District. Before serving in the state Senate, Moffitt also served two separate stints in the state House.

But King noted there could always be a wild card jumping into the race.

“There’s always the chance of an independently wealthy candidate jumping in and trying to get the votes of the executive committee, too,” King added.

While party leaders will select a new candidate, it will still be an uphill battle to keep the seat labeled “lean Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Any new candidate would have a massive disadvantage for fundraising, with less than 100 days until the November election for a seat President Donald Trump won by 10 percentage points in 2024. Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) won it by 6 points over former GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who was engulfed in scandal over comments made on a sex site.

Democrat Jamie Ager, a farmer endorsed by the Blue Dog PAC, is part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “red to blue” program.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS TO REPLACE CHUCK EDWARDS IF HE DROPS HIS REELECTION BID?

State law requires the GOP executive committee for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District to convene and select a new nominee now that Edwards is out of the race. The committee is made up of Republican officials from the 16 counties that make up the district. State laws do not define who would make up the executive committee.