After many establishment Republicans turned on Madison Cawthorn, voters did likewise.
The controversial congressman lost the Republican primary for his U.S. House seat in North Carolina’s 11th District on Tuesday.
Cawthorn, 26, was defeated by Chuck Edwards, a McDonald’s franchise owner who was backed by more moderate politicians throughout the Tar Heel State. Cawthorn called Edwards late Tuesday night and conceded.
Former President Donald Trump had given Cawthorn a full-throated endorsement.
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Several Republican leaders turned against Cawthorn after he accused his fellow conservative lawmakers of inviting him to cocaine-fueled orgies.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) endorsed Edwards, and a Tillis-affiliated super PAC poured millions of dollars into anti-Cawthorn and pro-Edwards advertising across western North Carolina.
The Republican primary also featured six more candidates, but with relative moderates aligned behind Edwards and Trumpers supporting Cawthorn, the others drew little interest individually.
Both Edwards and Cawthorn received more than 30% of the vote, meaning there will be no runoff. North Carolina’s 11th District has been a Republican stronghold since 2012, and Edwards will be expected to cruise to victory in November’s general election.
Cawthorn was a surprising winner of the seat in the 2020 election cycle. He replaced Mark Meadows, who joined Trump’s White House as the president’s chief of staff. Just days into his term, Cawthorn gave a speech in Washington, D.C., ahead of the infamous Capitol riot.
In addition to his cocaine and orgies comment that angered his Republican colleagues, Cawthorn was twice busted at airports trying to bring a gun through security. He was also ripped for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug” after Russia invaded Ukraine.
With News Wire Services
