Rep. Madison Cawthorn‘s week has gone from bad to worse to worser.
First, Buzzfeed published a damning report in which more than 30 of his former friends, classmates, and acquaintances accused him of sexual harassment, misconduct, and other inappropriate behavior. Then the Washington Post ran a story claiming he lied about that 2014 car crash that left him partially paralyzed.
Related: Madison Cawthorn’s bad week just got even worse and it’s only Tuesday
Now, the newly-elected first-term lawmaker from North Carolina has his first 2022 Democratic challenger, and it’s a gay Christian minister with three kids.
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“Some people will say, a gay woman who’s a Christian minister just can’t get elected in the South. Not to mention she’s a Democrat,” Jasmine Beach-Ferrara says in a campaign video released today. “But I say, an insurrectionist, who flirts with Nazis, and fires up a violent crowd to attack our democracy, well, he shouldn’t get reelected anywhere.”
Well, damn. She’s not messing around.
I’m Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and I’m running against Madison Cawthorn. As a gay woman, Christian minister, mom of 3, I’ve heard “you can’t” all my life. I’m ready to prove the skeptics wrong again. Please retweet and ask everyone you know to follow this account to join us. pic.twitter.com/dJroXf3bWf
— Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (@jbeachferrara) March 3, 2021
Beach-Ferrara definitely has an uphill battle ahead of her. Not only did Cawthorn beat his last Democratic opponent 54 to 42, but she’s running in a district that Donald Trump won by 11 points in 2020. Still, she believes she has what it takes to unseat the accused sexual predator.
Related: “Rapey” Madison Cawthorn accused of forcing women to go on “fun drives” and other disturbing acts
In her campaign video, Beach-Ferrara, who currently serves as Buncombe County commissioner, touted winning local seats in her district, as well as her advocacy work around marriage equality and other social issues, and her ability to work across the aisle.
I am Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara. I am running against Madison Cawthorn. I have 4.5K followers. My opponent has 256K.
Can you please retweet this and ask everyone you know to follow this account to build our platform?
— Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (@jbeachferrara) March 3, 2021
Speaking to local media this week, Beach-Ferrara said, “My faith teaches me that leadership starts with empathy, compassion, and listening and then getting to work to help people. That’s the kind of leadership I want to offer instead of the division and mean-spiritedness we’re getting now.”
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
MiguelInVanCT
Jasmine Beach-Ferrara seems like a shoe in, however knowing Queerty (we can include Towleroad), they probably won’t spend as much time focusing on her as much as they did when Madison, a good looking guy with no leadership experience, when he first announced his candidacy.
Kangol2
Cawthorn is in a very conservative district. VERY. So I don’t think Beach-Ferrara is a shoe in by any measure, but that is not to say that with the right appeal, enough support, and more screw ups by this Nazi-loving abusive lying creep Cawthorn she cannot win. But even as horrible as he is, it’s going to be an uphill battle.
BoylesqueBubble
Yet ANOTHER article about Madison, written by the only Queerty “editor” who writes about him with the ferocity of someone on a sex offender registry: Graham Gremore. Must be disappointing for Graham when straight men (the kind we know he fops to considering his article output) who are halfway decent looking, are asshats. So he writes his sh*t articles on them. No one here cares about Madison, Graham!
Josh447
“No one here cares about Madison, Graham!”.
Not true.
I care.
I care that someone puts jackal Cawthorne down, and fast.
This article was uplifting in that there is now a potential to get that done. And this new contender seems to have the fire power to do it. There has been no reporting on TV about this guy and his issues in the last few days so I was glad to see Queerty pick this up. Cawthorn’s a threat to democracy and I applaud Graham for getting at it.
BoylesqueBubble
@Josh447 Graham’s obsession with this guy is because he’s decent looking, and the very type Graham drools over in his creepy articles about heterosexual men. But it’s clickbait because it’s a picture of Madison as the thumbnail and the main picture as well, making Graham’s jerk-off fantasy front and center. Sorry, but maybe plenty of us (and there are) are sick of Graham’s one sided creepy-rape-y obsession that he has with heterosexual men. Why not show the new gay contender he’s writing about? Probably because he’s not photogenic like Graham’s obsession, so we get stuck with looking at Wheelchair Happy Ken, as he’s in Graham’s spank bank.
MiguelInVanCT
Na, the one common thread between all of his articles is outrage. He creates views by highlighting us vs them which creates further divide in society. Madison is simply a tool, #doubleentendre
Josh447
I have no triggers on gay guys who like straight guys, an assumption you’re making about Graham. Every journalist knows a pretty face gets clicks so seems he’s doing his job description as titled. Count me out as down playing him as I’ve always been one for mounting a good challenge. Good for him IF that’s his thing.
Now for the thing that really counts, inseating the jackal, do you have anything politically constructive to offer?
Josh447
I have no triggers on gay guys who like straight guys, an assumption you’re making about Graham. Every journalist knows a pretty face gets clicks so seems he’s doing his job description as titled. Count me out as down playing him as I’ve always been one for mounting a good challenge. Good for him IF that’s his thing.
Now for the issue that really counts, inseating the jackal, do you have anything politically constructive to offer?
Josh447
I have no triggers on gay guys who like straight guys, an assumption you’re making about Graham. Every journalist knows a pretty face gets clicks so seems he’s doing his job description as titled. Count me out as down playing him as I’ve always been one for mounting a good challenge. Good for him IF that’s his thing.
Now for the issue that really counts, inseating the jackal. Do you have anything politically constructive to offer?
Josh447
Repeats are due to the broken “waiting for moderation” issue that Queerty refuses to fix. It’s almost always 5 to 6 times I have to try and post my comments before one sticks. Now I’m just doing several at once instead of waiting 5m for each one. Please understand.
Josh447
Repeats are due to the broken “waiting for moderation” issue that Queerty refuses to fix. It’s almost always 5 to 6 times I have to try and post my comments before one sticks. Now I’m just doing several at once instead of waiting 5m for each one. Please understand.
Josh447
Repeats are due to the broken “waiting for moderation” issue that Queerty refuses to fix. It’s almost always 5 to 6 times I have to try and post my comments before one sticks. Now I’m just doing several at once instead of waiting 5m for each one. Please understand. Thx.
nm4047
WTF is an asshat?
nm4047
WTF is an asshat? I assume if the ‘nazi’ reference is used to try and trigger any public debate, it will do nothing but sure up his voter appeal (in this electorate).
joeboyle49
I HOPE THIS WOMAN MOPS THE FL;OOR WITH MADSON CAWTHORN!
Liquid Silver
Regrettably, looking at the district, all Maddy has to do is double down on the Nazi-ism and he’s a shoo-in. Toss in a couple yee-haws and he may win by a landslide.
Them voters ain’t smart. It’s North Carolina’s 11th, in the western part of the state. Asheville is the most “urban” part of the place.
Harley
Now following and already donated $500. Let’s kick the Nazi to the side y’all.
Kevan1
The guy is trash. A waste of time and space. It is sad he could not have done something constructive and kind with his life. He is just wasting anything he could do to better himself and the world.
Thad
Wait a second. Buncombe County? Isn’t that…Asheville? Far from a conservative haven!
Cawthorn may be one-and-done.
Thad
^ Sorry I didn’t fact-check. The gerrymanderers in North Carolina”s legislature split Asheville in two, between the 10th and 11th (Cawthorn’s) districts. Rural Western North Carolina maintains control in the district.
This is why redistricting matters.
Den
Gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement and the electoral college (for presidential elections) are the only tools the Republican party has to actually win elections.
They will fight to the death to undermine chances of the will of the people to determine elections.
dhmonarch89
Cawthorn is from a very conservative district- that’s how he got elected in the first place. Several of the lies and Nazi stuff was public before his election in November… that district is not electing a democrat, let alone a lesbian…best case scenario- a moderate Republican will primary him and take him out before the general election
Essie
Even though his district is super conservative, uneducated and stupid, I still can’t understand how he was elected with all the allegations about him being well known. Given what happen this time, I don’t see this woman being elected. Maybe enough people will think that electing a lesbian is better than re-electing a Nazi molester.
Den
The allegations are likely to have helped him get elected.
His misogyny would endear him to male voters in his district, as well as a number of women. His anti-gay stance would balance out his lies. And his disability would get a certain amount of pity vote, especially being “good looking” in a cheap “aryan” way.
And of course any national socialists/white supremist would certainly vote for him.
Those same groups are likely to vote for him a second time, regardless of how he performs (which they are unlikely to keep track of in any meaningful way).
ShaunNJ
I agree Queerty (and we readers) pay too much attention to Cawthorn, because some have found him attractive.
My take-away from this story is a lesbian Democrat is trying to unseat him. Let’s support Beach-Ferrara, send money to her campaign and elevate her profile. It’s an uphill battle in that district, though Cawthorn is just terrible enough she could have a shot.
sadiedog63
He’s a typical rethuglican, a liar, a cheater, a thief and a predaphile. The guy is straight up naxi loving crap. But this is the type of people the rethuglicans love. They can relate to him because they’re exactly like him.
jdr11201
Something about him (Madison C.),
He gives out a Gay-Tingle .. ?
Josh447
He could be bi and was using negative advances against girls to establish to the world he’s not “gay” or attracted sexually to men. With his looks he may have been called a candy ass at some point which could’ve mada him turn purple from fear of discovery, giving him motive to over exaggerate his het side. If he is bi he most likely won’t explore it fully until way later in life, if ever.
Josh447
He could be bi and was using negative advances against girls to establish to the world he’s not “gay” or attracted sexually to men. With his looks he may have been called a candy ass at some point which could’ve mada him turn purple from fear of discovery, giving him motive to over exaggerate his het side.
If he is bi he most likely won’t explore it fully until way later in life, if ever.
Josh447
He could be bi and was using negative advances against girls to establish to the world he’s not “gay” or attracted sexually to men. With his looks he may have been called a candy ass at some point which could’ve mada him turn purple from fear of discovery, giving him motive to over exaggerate his het side.
If he is bi he most likely won’t explore it fully until way later in life, if ever.
Jerry
Donated!
innocentgay
Ditto.
Ain’t ever even been to North Carolina.
Max
please wheel away
TruthBeKnown
The only real question is how the rape allegations are playing in his North Carolina district. And not surprisingly, his constituents simply see this as a case of “boys will be boys.” In fact, if anything, it only boosts his “manliness.” SAD.
ericr_wilson
Git him, gurl.!!! Drag him out of The Capitol by his lil dick.!!
kbearpdx
BTW the term is shoo-in.
LMG
With a name like Madison Cawthorn what else would you expect? Smug, snobbish, no substance, vapid appearance, pampered play boy, needy for attention, snotty, and snarky – and those are his GOOD points!