On Monday, The Asheville Citizen Times reported that Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), facing increasing opposition from his own party for seeking a second term in office, declined to show up at a primary debate in his district.
"Cawthorn spokesperson Luke Ball said there were more than 10 debates scheduled and the congressman had committed to two. He might do 'a couple' more but was not planning to attend the Agricultural Center event, Ball said," reported Joel Burgess,
This comes after Cawthorn, a firebrand ally of former President Donald Trump, claimed that many of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill engage in cocaine-fueled sex orgies — a claim for which he has provided no evidence and which infuriated GOP leaders. It also comes as local North Carolina GOP leaders, including the state Senate President Pro Tempore and state Speaker of the House, have endorsed state Sen. Chuck Edwards against him.
"How recent events involving Cawthorn will play out at the debate and ultimately in the May 17 primary remain unclear," said the report. "Some candidates have sought to downplay the Police Benevolent Association's endorsement or to criticize Edwards for his ties to established GOP lawmakers. Most challengers, meanwhile, have declined to weigh in on Cawthorn's bizarre and damning drug and sex allegations."
Making matters worse, Cawthorn recently tried jumping ship to another district, only to change his mind and move back, further enraging Republican officials as his shakeups disrupted their own political ambitions.
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