Madison Cawthorn’s GOP primary has become a ‘toss-up’ as Republican support craters: CNN analyst

Controversial first-term Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has the endorsement of Donald Trump, but his first re-election has become a "toss-up" as local Republicans have denounced his antics, a CNN analyst Harry Enten explained on Saturday.

"Just weeks before the May 27th primary, North Carolina Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn finds himself in hot water — again," CNN's John Berman reported. "He's facing criticism from both parties."

"What are the odds that he's facing at this moment?" Berman asked.

"If you look at the betting odds at this particular point, 57% chance he wins, 43% his chief rival, Chuck Edwards, wins who is a state legislator there," Enten said. "Look, this is basic even in terms of betting odds. 57% is not very much a favorite at all. I would define this race as a t-o-s-s-u-p.:

"That spells tossup," Berman noted.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is backing Edwards and called for an investigation into whether Cawthorn violated federal insider trading laws with an arrangement he had with the Let's Go Brandon cryptocurrency.

"Insider trading by a member of Congress is a serious betrayal of their oath, and Congressman Cawthorn owes North Carolinians an explanation. There needs to be a thorough and bipartisan inquiry into the matter by the House Ethics Committee," Tillis said on Wednesday.

In North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer also reported on the status of Cawthorn's campaign on Saturday.

"Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s penchant for confrontational politicking has landed him national name recognition, campaign dollars and a competitive primary at home," the newspaper reported. "Recent polling from the GOPAC Election Fund found that Cawthorn’s support dropped among primary voters over the previous month, from 49% in March to 38% in April. State Sen. Chuck Edwards sat at 21%, with other candidates such as Michele Woodhouse, Wendy Nevarez and Rodney Honeycutt at 5%."

If none of the candidates receive 30% of the vote, it will force a runoff election among the top two finishers.

On Friday, The New York Times detailed the recent Cawthorn scandals.

"In rapid succession, Mr. Cawthorn, who entered Congress as a rising star of the party’s far right, has been accused of falsely suggesting that his Republican colleagues routinely throw cocaine-fueled orgies, insider trading and an inappropriate relationship with a male aide. This week, he was detained at an airport, where police said he tried to bring a loaded handgun onto an airplane, the second time he has attempted that," the newspaper reported. "That came just days after pictures surfaced of him wearing women’s lingerie as part of a cruise ship game, imagery that might not go over well in the conservative stretches of his Western North Carolina district."

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