Madison Cawthorn

The 26-year-old congressman who failed to beat back a challenge from Chuck Edwards had lost Republican support.

Edwards and others accuse Cawthorn of trying to walk away from his constituents for political convenience. And videos released in the campaign’s final weeks showed Cawthorn in sexually suggestive poses. Cawthorn soon became a leading spokesperson for Trump’s “America First” policies and conservatives in the culture wars.

Cawthorn faced negative publicity for speeding and gun violations, as well as for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug.

Edwards and others accuse Cawthorn of trying to walk away from his constituents for political convenience. And videos released in the campaign’s final weeks showed Cawthorn in sexually suggestive poses, which he said were from several years ago — meant to be funny and nothing else. “I’ve found that most people in politics, if it’s not politically expedient to them, they’ll turn their back on you in a heartbeat,” he said. Cawthorn had vaulted to national prominence after winning the mountain-area seat in 2020 at age 25. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who endorsed Edwards, said Cawthorn was an embarrassment to his constituents. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy reprimanded him publicly for the remarks.

The North Carolina Republican narrowly lost to state Sen. Chuck Edwards, who had received the backing of some Republicans who had tired of Cawthorn's ...

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The first-term congressman fell short despite a late appeal from Trump, who encouraged voters to look past the young lawmaker's string of missteps.

The district has a clear Republican lean: Trump won it by 10 percentage points, according to the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “He’s a hot mess,” Republican voter Susan Newman, 53, said at the time. That left Edwards set to advance to November’s general election and Cawthorn, 26, to see his House career come to an end after one term in January.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, the scandal-prone freshman lawmaker backed by former President Donald Trump, conceded defeat in his Republican primary election, ...

Tillis came out swinging against Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a top rival in the GOP primary. His seat, which was previously held by ex-Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, is a safe Republican district. North Carolina voters on Tuesday had already decided who will compete in one of this year's critical U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate primary in the race to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr, NBC projected. - North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate primary in the race to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr, NBC projected. - NBC News has yet to project a winner in Cawthorn's congressional district. - Rep. Madison Cawthorn, the scandal-prone freshman lawmaker backed by former President Donald Trump, conceded defeat in his Republican primary election, Cawthorn's spokesman said.

Chuck Edwards, a three-term state senator who represents the Republican old guard, defeated Mr. Cawthorn, once seen as a rising star in his party.

But Mr. Cawthorn, who has been in a wheelchair since a car crash that almost took his life at 18, struggled to overcome a series of old and new personal and political errors. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, told reporters he had spoken with Mr. Cawthorn and told him that he had lost trust in him. Like Mr. Cawthorn, he was born and raised in rural Hendersonville, a city of 14,000 south of Asheville. Photos and videos of him partying and emulating sexual antics circulated. But late Tuesday, Mr. Edwards and Mr. Cawthorn were both clearing the 30 percent threshold. Mr. Edwards’s narrow triumph was called by The Associated Press.

The election became a test of whether voters would grant Cawthorn another term despite his personal and political stumbles.

Edwards and others accuse Cawthorn of trying to walk away from his constituents for political convenience. And videos released in the campaign’s final weeks showed Cawthorn in sexually suggestive poses, which he said were from several years ago — meant to be funny and nothing else. Cawthorn soon became a leading spokesperson for Trump’s “America First” policies and conservatives in the culture wars. Within days of taking office in early 2021, Cawthorn spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally questioning Joe Biden’s presidential election victory that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. The primary was open to Republican and unaffiliated voters. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis said Cawthorn was an embarrassment to his constituents.

All of this led a number of influential Republicans in both North Carolina and DC to back Edwards in what seemed to be a well planned campaign to unseat ...

Over the last few months, he has provoked the wrath of the Republican party elite with a series of bizarre statements, including his dubious claim that other lawmakers he admired had invited him to orgies and done cocaine in front of him. He has also found himself embroiled in scandal after scandal: participating in a cryptocurrency scheme, lying or exaggerating about his past, driving with a revoked license, and attempting to bring a loaded gun through airport security—twice. By the time of his “orgy and cocaine” comment, Cawthorn’s combative and erratic behavior had already alienated him from many North Carolina Republicans. He annoyed them further by unexpectedly announcing that he was going to switch districts, only to then return to his original district after a court ruling gave the new district a Democratic skew.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn lost the Republican primary for his House seat in North Carolina on Tuesday — halting the young, pro-Trump congressman's rise after a ...

He became one of the youngest members in the House’s history, turning his adversity — a car accident that left him partially paralyzed as a teenager — into political success. He’s been accused of sexual harassment on multiple occasions and criticized for his role on Jan. 6. But it was Tillis who got the last word after Cawthorn’s concession. He floated swapping districts last fall to secure an easier reelection — but returned to the 11th District once redistricting lines shifted again. His downfall comes even after former President Donald Trump offered support for the embattled Republican. From personal to political controversy, Cawthorn’s time in the public eye has seen it all.

Less than 17 months after being sworn into office, Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn has been voted out of office by his Western North Carolina...

Bruce O’Connell, owner of the Pisgah Inn, placed fourth with 6.9%, followed by retired Army Col. Rod Honeycutt with 6.5%. Edwards was able to avoid a runoff by accumulating more than 30% of the vote. Cawthorn, who was only three days into his term when he first drew attention for his speech preceding the Jan. 6 insurrection, spent much of his first term as the target of frequent criticism for controversial comments and a series of unsavory scandals that undoubtedly contributed to his loss.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn conceded his race in the GOP primary for North Carolina's 11th District to opponent Chuck Edwards in a phone call, ...

In March, he faced charges of driving with a revoked license for the second time in five years. A House Republican familiar with the matter confirmed the discussions. Just as I expected, he presented himself in a very classy and humble way and offered his support to our campaign in absolutely anyway that we can use him," the state senator said.

Less than 17 months after being sworn into office, Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn has been voted out of office by his Western North Carolina...

Bruce O’Connell, owner of the Pisgah Inn, placed fourth with 6.9%, followed by retired Army Col. Rod Honeycutt with 6.5%. Edwards was able to avoid a runoff by accumulating more than 30% of the vote. Cawthorn, who was only three days into his term when he first drew attention for his speech preceding the Jan. 6 insurrection, spent much of his first term as the target of frequent criticism for controversial comments and a series of unsavory scandals that undoubtedly contributed to his loss.

CBS News projects Chuck Edwards will win the Republican primary in the 11th Congressional District.

"He hasn't learned from a mistake he's made over the last year," Tillis said. Social media posts of Cawthorn, who is a conservative Baptist, also leaked, including one that appeared to show him naked. Cawthorn has been ensnared in a number of other controversies since taking office. The lawsuit fell short in state and federal court. An affiliated super PAC also funneled in over $1.5 million to help Edwards. Cawthorn called Edwards to concede by 9:45 p.m. ET, Edwards' campaign said.

The youngest Republican congressman in history lost on Tuesday following an eye-popping series of bizarre scandals.

And then he angered his home state’s Republicans by announcing a bid in a newly drawn district meant for the state house speaker, only to see the gerrymander thrown out in court and forcing him to return, chastened, to run in the district that he currently represents. After reading a long Politico profile of Cawthorn describing him as unraveling, one freshman Democrat told Intelligencer that they came away with a feeling of pity towards a colleague. In 2020, Madison Cawthorn became the youngest Republican elected to Congress in American history. A spokesperson for Cawthorn said he conceded the Republican race for his North Carolina congressional seat on Tuesday night. That’s why I voted for a lot of the criminal justice reform bills.” It also didn’t help that Cawthorn had an inflated view of his own political stock.

Cawthorn, by contrast, built his one congressional term around taking on top Republicans — he won the seat in 2020 by winning a runoff against the candidate ...

How Edwards won the primary: Edwards says he is a Trump supporter as well — a necessity in a district that voted for Trump over Joe Biden by 10 points in 2020. Cawthorn was implicating them in baseless conspiracies, and some of them were starting to receive constituent calls asking if they were partaking in these alleged drug-or-sex parties. In March, Cawthorn started saying things that really angered top Republicans in Washington, like accusing them of hosting orgies and using cocaine and calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug.” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) had already been in a feud with Cawthorn for months. He’s generally well-liked by local Republicans: They picked him to fill a vacant Senate seat in 2016 and he’s still in that office. The Republican who kicked fiery Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) out of office in a primary on Tuesday night couldn’t be more different from the scandal-plagued, one-term congressman.

Ordinarily, when Donald Trump issues an endorsement of an incumbent Republican, the former president characterizes the GOP policymaker as a celebrated hero and ...

As regular readers know, the congressman appeared on a podcast in March and was asked whether the TV show “House of Cards” is realistic. Yes, Republican officials will probably be eager to help him pack up his office and pay for his airfare out of Washington, D.C., but they don’t always get to decide who maintains influence in GOP politics. His character flaws were fully displayed when he first ran for Congress in 2020: nods to white supremacists, extravagant lies, accusations of sexually predatory behavior, overt racism and a long list of driving offenses.” As the dust settles, there are three key elements to this that are worth keeping in mind. Far-right Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina lost in the primary election on Tuesday, ending his re-election bid after an ugly (yet entertaining) race characterized by Republican infighting. The former president didn’t bother to pretend that the North Carolina Republican has been an amazingly successful congressman — because even Trump realized that no one would take such a claim seriously.

North Carolina's GOP establishment exacted its revenge on the freshman congressman, who was backed by Donald Trump.

“I think when he said that he was the first politician to grow up with the cellphone, it’s very accurate,” he said. Cawthorn has blamed everyone but himself for his troubles, including so-called establishment RINOs, Republicans In Name Only, and left-wing activists for a “coordinated drip campaign” to leak his troubles to the media. Every seat in the House and a third of the seats in the 100-member Senate are up for election. As of April 25, 46 of the 50 states had settled on the boundaries for 395 of 435 U.S. House districts. We’ve got a lot of needs here, and we have a lot of people that want to talk to you as a congressman. “There’s been a coordinated strike carried out by really, kind of the old establishment wing of our party, and it’s something that I think is a loser’s mentality,” Cawthorn said at his campaign headquarters moments before he conceded. Numerous Republicans jumped into what appeared to be an open-seat race for the 11th District, including Cawthorn’s district chair and handpicked successor. “And they didn’t give him the scoop on Madison Cawthorn.” The incidents, many of them repeated, left Republicans wondering when he would learn to take responsibility for his actions. “Congratulations to @ChuckEdwards4NC on securing the nomination tonight,” Cawthorn wrote on Twitter shortly before midnight. Cawthorn “hasn’t learned from a mistake he’s made over the last year. The Republican was characteristically defiant, telling supporters he would be victorious amid a “very close” race.

Cawthorn's loss did not come as a surprise to North Carolina's political experts and GOP operatives after a series of scandals.

“Cawthorn’s first public comments on the matter were around 24 hours after the Pigeon River reached initial flood levels,” Western North Carolina native Callie Pruett wrote in an op-ed in the North Carolina Mountaineer that ran with a headline calling Cawthorn’s silence an “unforgivable dereliction of duty.” Then, in February, Cawthorn reneged on his choice and opted to run again in his current district after all, and had to face Edwards. His constituents found him hard to reach; some of his district offices were often closed, requiring voters in his sprawling, mountainous district to travel far to get help. After his 2020 election, Cawthorn boasted that he had big legislative plans to work across the aisle, bring down healthcare costs, and improve rural broadband. Cawthorn angered his congressional colleagues with his salacious orgy comment, and the lingerie photos were a particularly damaging surprise for voters, experts say, released less than a month before the primary. Cawthorn’s loss did not come as a surprise to the state’s political experts and GOP operatives.