bye bye

Madison Cawthorn reacts to losing GOP Primary in North Carolina

Madison Cawthorn
Madison Cawthorn (Photo: Twitter)

GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn has been ousted in North Carolina. The far-right lawmaker yesterday lost his seat in the GOP Primary to State Senator Chuck Edwards.

The Associated Press called the race for Sen. Chuck Edwards, at 11.09 pm ET. Cawthorn, 26, was quick to accept defeat and urge voters to support Edwards in the November midterms.

In a rare show of maturity, Cawthorn tweeted, “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.”


Edwards said in a statement, “Against all odds, we fought hard to win this election and provide clear conservative leadership for the mountains. Now, we will harness this energy, come together as a party, and keep this seat in Republican hands in November.”

Related: Madison Cawthorn claims the “establishment” are trying to kill his political career

Cawthorn’s defeat came just a day after securing a late message of support from former President Donald Trump.

Trump had posted a message on Truth Social saying, “At 18 years of age, Madison Cawthorn, the now 26-year-old Congressman from the Great State of North Carolina, went through a life-changing event the likes of which, fortunately, few people will ever have to endure.

“In just seconds, he lost the use of the lower half of his body, a traumatic experience to say the least. 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!”

Clearly, the voters of District 11 in North Carolina did not believe a second chance was warranted.

Trump didn’t elaborate on Cawthorn’s “foolish mistakes”, but you can take your pick from recent months. There were the times he was stopped getting on to an airplane carrying a gun, or the two occasions he was stopped whilst driving with a revoked license.

Then there was the podcast interview where he claimed fellow Republican lawmakers had invited him to cocaine-fuelled orgies. Or the video of him, naked, appearing to thrust his crotch into his male cousin’s face.

Related: Madison Cawthorn explains leaked video of himself naked in bed, humping male friend

Online, sympathy for Cawthorn was in short supply.

Actor and LGBTQ campaigner George Takei summed up the feelings of many.

Others wondered what Cawthorn might do next.

Many were quick to remind Cawthorn of a childish taunt he threw in Liz Cheney’s direction last year.


Others said that if an American First lawmaker like Cawthorn could be ousted, so could others.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, two other Trump endorsements enjoyed success in their primaries. Another far-right candidate, Sen. Doug Mastriano, became the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania. In North Carolina, GOP Senate primary, Rep. Ted Budd, beat former Gov. Pat McCrory.

At the time of writing, counting was still being carried out to see who had won the Pennsylvania Senate primary, where Trump has thrown his support behind Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Among LGBTQ candidates, Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta lost his Democratic primary to become Pennsylvania’s first gay, Black Senator. John Fetterman, currently Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, won that race.

Related: Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announces bid to be first out, Black U.S. Senator

Rep. Brian Sims was hoping to replace Fetterman as LG, but he lost the Democratic primary to Austin Davis.

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