Trump-backed Rep. Madison Cawthorn concedes North Carolina GOP primary

Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks earlier than a rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump at The Farm at 95 on April 9, 2022 in Selma, North Carolina.

Allison Joyce | Getty Images

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, the scandal-prone freshman lawmaker backed by former President Donald Trump, conceded defeat in his Republican major election on Tuesday night.

Cawthorn called state Sen. Chuck Edwards to concede the race, the congressman's spokesman told reporters. Edwards had been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

NBC News projected Edwards as the first winner in the state's 11th Congressional District on Tuesday night time. He led the race with greater than 33% of the vote, compared with roughly 32% for Cawthorn.

"Congratulations to @ChuckEdwards4NC on securing the nomination tonight," Cawthorn stated in a tweet. "It's time for the NC-11 GOP to rally behind the Republican ticket to defeat the Democrats' nominee this November."

North Carolina voters on Tuesday had already decided who will compete in one in all this year's important U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate main within the race to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr, NBC projected.

Budd is backed each by Trump and the influential conservative group Membership for Development. He will face off within the general election towards Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Courtroom, who NBC projected would handily clinch the Democratic nomination.

The swing-state contest is one among a handful that can decide whether or not Democrats maintain their majority in the Senate cut up 50-50 by occasion. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

Cawthorn is one among 13 U.S. House members from North Carolina. Now 26 years old, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2020. His seat, which was previously held by ex-Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, is a protected Republican district.

Nonetheless, the first-term lawmaker's reelection bid turned one of the state's most-watched primary races, thanks to a wide range of scandals and missteps that spurred harsh criticism — even from some Republicans.

The controversies swirling round Cawthorn include: making claims about other lawmakers doing illicit medication and welcoming him to orgies; driving with a revoked license; bringing a loaded handgun to an airport; being eyed by ethics watchdogs over suspicions about attainable insider buying and selling associated to a meme cryptocurrency; calling Ukraine's president a "thug" amid an invasion by Russia; and others.

Tillis came out swinging in opposition to Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a high rival in the GOP main. A political action committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent more than $300,000 on adverts attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised concerns of doable insider trading, Tillis overtly referred to as for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

Trump, in the meantime, defended Cawthorn in a social media post over the weekend.

"Not too long ago, he made some foolish mistakes, which I don't believe he'll make again," Trump said of Cawthorn, adding, "Let's give Madison a second probability!"

Requested by NBC News about Trump's submit, Tillis replied, "Technically, that is the sixth or seventh probability."

"He hasn't discovered from a mistake he's made over the last 12 months," the senator said of Cawthorn.