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The youngest man in Congress lost his bid to be renominated by the Republican Party following a string of scandals.
North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn lost to state Sen. Chuck Edwards.
Cawthorn's campaign was hit with a "series of scandals," the Charlottesville Observer noted.
"It began when he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a thug” and the Ukrainian government “evil.” It escalated when he went on a podcast and said his congressional colleagues participated in orgies and did key bumps of cocaine," the newspaper reported. "From there he was charged with driving with a revoked license, was caught at an airport for the second time with a gun, accused of insider trading, while photos of him draped in lingerie on a cruise ship and a video of him naked in bed with another person leaked."
MSNBC reports Cawthorn called Edwards to concede.
Cawthorn's loss was also a loss for Donald Trump, a fact noted by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
"Donald Trump endorsed Cawthorn. Cawthorn lost. Ouch," he posted to Twitter.
"Even though Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R) was defeated tonight, two of his very controversial endorsees - Sandy Smith (R) in #NC01 and Bo Hines (R) in #NC13 - are narrowly on pace to win GOP primaries in competitive districts. That could be good news for Dems," noted Dave Wasserman of the Cook Politico Report.
Bestselling author Don Winslow explained where he thinks Cawthorn went wrong.
"I warned you: Never, ever, EVER talk about Republican members of Congress and their drug fueled orgies. You can attack America and you can lie, cheat, steal, and assault people - but never talk about those drug fueled orgies," he wrote. "They will come after you!"
Jezebel editor-in-chief Laura Bassett also thinks the discussion of the orgies was decisive.
"Madison Cawthorn lost his House seat tonight after a scorched-earth campaign by his Republican colleagues to get him out— a warning shot to any member who wants to speak out about cocaine and orgies," she wrote.
Politico's San Stein wondered how much damage Cawthorn will inflict on the way out.
"I understand that GOP leadership wants him gone, but a lame duck Cawthorn with 7 months left to serve is gonna be a hold-your-breath ride for them too," he wrote.
"At 26, I’m pretty sure that Madison Cawthorn is the youngest member of Congress to lose a primary," wrote Dave Weigel of The Washington Post.
In 2020, Madison Cawthorn became the youngest Republican elected to Congress in American history. In 2022, he became the youngest Republican to lose re-election to Congress in American history," noted reporter Ben Jacobs.
Cawthorn had predicted victory.
RINOS are tripping over themselves to defeat me. \n\nThey will lose. \n\nWe will win.pic.twitter.com/C2Zeg1vBWn— Madison Cawthorn (@Madison Cawthorn) 1651249842
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On Tuesday, Axios reported that Republican messaging ahead of the midterms is getting "angrier" — and that this is quantifiable in data.
"The Republicans' use of action words like 'fight,' 'defend' and 'destroy' in press releases, social media posts, floor statements and newsletters has increased substantially between the 2018 midterm election cycle and 2022, according to data compiled by Quorum," said the report. "The GOP is adopting more polemical rhetoric to both secure renomination of its candidates and to try to end the Democrats' control of Congress and the White House. The language channels the rhetoric of former President Trump."
Specifically, reported Andrew Solender, the types of words being used in Republican speeches and statements are becoming more combative compared to four years ago. "Fighter/fight/fighting" has been used almost 19,000 times in the cycle, up from 8,500 in 2018; "radical" has been used 9,100 times, up from around 500; and "destroy" 3,700 times, up from 800.
Terms like "corrupt," "evil," "betrayed," "angry," "take down," and "blow up," are also becoming more common.
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"Several Republicans who've faced spirited challenges to their right have changed their tone, shifting from playing up their bipartisan credentials to positioning themselves as conservative firebrands, Axios reported last month," noted Solender. In one example, "Rep. Van Taylor (R-Texas) dubbed himself 'Mr. Bipartisan' in 2020 when he had a tough Democratic foe in a swing seat. He shifted to claiming he was 'standing up to the radical left' earlier this cycle as he faced conservative primary challengers in a safe GOP district."
This comes as experts have warned that Republican areas of America are seeing an upsurge of anger and resentment.
You can read more here.
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Madison Cawthorn projected to lose seat in Congress
May 17, 2022
U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn is projected to have lost his primary Tuesday night and be a one-term Congressman.
Dave Wasserman, the U.S. House editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report first made the call Tuesday night:
Business Insider also reports Cawthorn was "ousted."
Republicans in Cawthorn's North Carolina district had eight candidates to choose from and picked state Senator Chuck Edwards. As recently as last week Edwards was "polling a distant second at 21 percent," Newsweek reported.
Edwards will face a formidable Democrat, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara. A Buncombe County Commissioner, Beach-Ferrara is an ordained Christian minister and the founding Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE).
Beach-Ferrara has a strong focus on policy. Unlike many modern-day candidates, especially on the right, her website lists her positions on 16 different issues: Agriculture, Children’s Issues, Choice, Climate Issues, COVID, Economic Opportunity & Job Creation, Education, Healthcare, Higher Education & Student Loan Debt, Legalizing Marijuana, LGBTQ Rights, Opioid Crisis, Racial Justice, Social Security & Medicare, Veterans, and Voting Rights & Independent Redistricting.
"Jasmine and her wife, Meghann Burke, live in Asheville with their oldest child Cal, twins Lily and Wyatt and dog, Ruggles," her campaign website says. "They love hiking, swimming, exploring every playground in the county, and BBQ-ing. Jasmine is a fan of the UNC Tarheels, Carolina Courage, and Carolina Panthers."
Chuck Edwards was endorsed by several Republicans, including U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, Phil Berger, the President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate, and North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore.
But Cawthorn's constituents reportedly had grown tired of his immaturity, including, as Newsweek noted, "being stopped by police three times since October—for alleged speeding and driving with a revoked license—being caught for the second time with a gun at airport security and accusations he was involved in illegal insider trading in relation to his ties to a 'Let's Go Brandon' cryptocurrency."
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