Jennifer Balkcom

Jennifer Capps Balkcom (born 1978 or 1979) is an American politician serving as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for the 117th district since 2023. She is the Republican nominee for North Carolina's 11th congressional district in 2026.

Early life and education Balkcom was born in 1978 or 1979. She graduated from Blue Ridge Community College with an associate degree in applied science and business administration. She narrowly won the Republican primary on May 17, 2022, receiving 42.6% of the vote, and defeated Democratic nominee Michael O'Shea in the general election with 59.0% of the vote.

2026 congressional campaign

In August 2026, after U.S. representative Chuck Edwards announced that he would withdraw his nomination in the 2026 election, Balkcom applied to seek the replacement nomination. She was nominated by the North Carolina Republican Party on August 10.

Political positions Agriculture During her 2022 state representative campaign, Balkcom supported preserving North Carolina farmland, which she said was being lost to commercial, industrial, and residential over-development. In April 2025, she introduced legislation banning adversarial foreign governments from acquiring or leasing agricultural land in North Carolina.

Crime and policing During her 2022 state representative campaign, Balkcom blamed gun violence and crime on a "much deeper problems we have in this country, including the breakdown of the family, and devaluation of innocent human life". She also criticized calls to defund the police.

Economic issues During her 2022 state representative campaign, Balkcom supported deregulation and cutting or eliminating the state's income tax to address inflation.

During her 2026 state representative campaign, Balkcom opposed teaching about race in schools and supported providing education vouchers to charter schools.

Gun policy Balkcom supports the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and opposes gun control. She also introduced another bill that would allow parents to opt their children out of immunizations for "conscientious objection" reasons.

Immigration During her 2022 state representative campaign, Balkcom wrote on her campaign website, "criminal illegal aliens must serve their full sentences then be deported".

Social issues Balkcom is pro-life. In June 2023, Balkcom voted to override Governor Roy Cooper's veto on a bill banning abortions past 12 weeks gestation, with exceptions for rape and incest up to 20 weeks and up to 24 weeks for life-limiting fetal anomalies.

In April 2023, Balkcom supported a bill banning transgender female athletes from competing on girls' sports teams in schools. In 2025, she introduced a bill that would require public school students on overnight field trips to share sleeping quarters with members of their biological sex unless parents have consented or the students are immediate family members; require school districts to make a list of book titles available to the public and allow parents to block their children from borrowing specific books; and prohibit state funds from being used to support prisoners seeking gender-affirming care. The bill passed and became law after the North Carolina General Assembly overrode Governor Josh Stein's veto of the bill.