A North Carolina Republican committee on Monday selected state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to replace embattled Rep. Chuck Edwards as the party’s nominee on the November ballot. “Western North Carolina is where I was born, raised, and chose to raise my own family,’’ Balkcom said in a statement after the votes were tallied. Balkcom, who was reportedly the only elected official under consideration, had the backing of North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall. Another state legislator, state Sen. Tim Moffitt, had initially expressed interest in running. A business owner from Henderson County, Balkcom first won her state House seat in 2022 after prevailing in a competitive three-way primary.