From Reuters:
“Republicans oust
Trump-backed, scandal-plagued congressman Madison Cawthorn”
(Republican first-term
congressman Madison Cawthorn greets his supporters in Hendersonville, North
Carolina, U.S. May 17, 2022.)
North Carolina Republicans on
Tuesday voted to end controversial freshman congressman Madison Cawthorn's time
in office on Tuesday, after a string of self-inflicted controversies turned
major figures in their party against him. A nude video, claims he was invited
to a cocaine-fueled Washington orgy by leaders he respected, two attempts to
carry a gun onto an airplane and calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskiy a thug in the midst of a Russian invasion turned colleagues against
the 26-year-old, who is Congress's youngest member. A last-minute plea by
former President Donald Trump to give the first-term congressman "a second
chance" was not enough to hold off a challenge by state Senator Chuck
Edwards, 61.
Edwards won 33.4% of the vote to
Cawthorn's 31.9%, according to Edison Research. Cawthorn congratulated Edwards
on Twitter and urged the party to unite behind him. His spokesman Luke Ball
said Cawthorn had called Edwards to concede defeat. "The establishment
Republicans in North Carolina are embarrassed by Madison Cawthorn," said
Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University
situated in the 11th congressional district that Cawthorn represents.
His antics motivated a Republican
super PAC in the state to rally around Edwards, who eked out a win on Tuesday
with enough of the vote to avoid a runoff. "I just see a lack of
judgment," said Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who
said Cawthorn had not demonstrated a serious interest in serving as a
legislator even when the state was hit by flooding. "It just makes me
wonder how focused he is on serving the people of his district, versus focused
on increasing his political stature. I have no patience for anybody who's got a
focus on the latter," Tillis said. "On any given day he's an
embarrassment," retiring Republican U.S. Senator Richard Burr of North
Carolina said ahead of the primary.
Cawthorn was seen as a rising
star of the Republican Party after the political newcomer defeated a
Trump-endorsed candidate in 2020. This time, Cawthorn had Trump's endorsement
and the former president pleaded on his behalf on the day before Tuesday's
primary. "When Madison was first elected to Congress, he did a great job.
Recently, he made some foolish mistakes, which I don't believe he'll make again
... let's give Madison a second chance," the former president said in a
post on the Truth Social media platform. Cawthorn saw his lead in opinion polls
collapse over the past two months, amid a barrage of attacks from two super
PACs with backing from Republicans and Democrats. In the closing days of the
primary race, Results for NC Inc, which has supported Tillis, ran a 30-second
ad accusing Cawthorn of being a reckless playboy out to slash spending on
Social Security and Medicare.
Edwards, a local businessman who
is touting an "America First" agenda, will now be the likely winner
of the heavily leaning Republican district in the Nov. 8 election as the seat,
based in the mountainous western part of the state, is considered safely
Republican.
^ I’m glad he is out and the fact
that the Republicans did it themselves speaks volumes. ^
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