Congress lost one of the greats on Tuesday when Rep. Madison Cawthorn failed to secure the GOP nomination in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District primary.
Despite a major endorsement from Former President Donald Trump, Cawthorn’s recent scandals – though pretty benign – caused an uproar North Carolina voters couldn’t ignore.
North Carolina state Senator Chuck Edwards went on to secure the GOP nomination.
Cawthorn conceded the race and congratulated Edwards in a tweet late Tuesday.
Congratulations to @ChuckEdwards4NC on securing the nomination tonight.
It’s time for the NC-11 GOP to rally behind the Republican ticket to defeat the Democrats’ nominee this November.
— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) May 18, 2022
At 26, Madison Cawthorn made impactful headway for America First lawmakers in the House of Representatives. He was a member of a growing coalition of pro-Trump lawmakers that also included Reps. Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and others.
Polling in the North Carolina primary was almost non-existent, so it was unclear as to how Cawthorn’s recent online scandals would affect his chances of securing the nomination.
Donald Trump even pleaded with North Carolina voters on Tuesday, telling his Truth Social followers to give Cawthorn another chance.
Trump told his MAGA base it’s ok to support Madison Cawthorn again. pic.twitter.com/qREsPsDRmH
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) May 17, 2022
After originally seeking to switch districts amid the state’s redistricting process, Cawthorn ultimately returned to the 11th District, where he faced seven Republican challengers seeking to deny him a second term, including Edwards.
Mainstream media outlets constantly smeared Cawthorn, especially as he remained steadfast in the belief that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, which it was.
However, he garnered serious backlash from all sides after a podcast appearance in which the junior lawmaker claimed congressional colleagues invited him to cocaine-fueled orgy parties.
Cawthorn also generated negative headlines about himself after driving with a revoked license and attempting to bring a loaded gun into an airport multiple times. As the scandals, many of which happened just weeks before the primary, piled up, lewd images and videos of Cawthorn, an ethics complaint about staff pay, and allegations over insider trading also emerged.
Ultimately, Cawthorn shot himself in the foot. Trump’s endorsement may be effective, but it’s no miracle.
However, it will be interesting to see how America First lawmakers willing to call out discrepancies in the 2020 election fare in the upcoming midterms. Perhaps Democrats are up to their old tricks once again?
Author: Elizabeth Tierney
