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 main election on Tuesday night.

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

NBC Information projected Edwards as the first winner within the state's 11th Congressional District on Tuesday evening. He led the race with more than 33% of the vote, in contrast 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 determined who will compete in one of this yr's vital U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate primary in the race to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr, NBC projected.

Budd is backed both by Trump and the influential conservative group Club for Progress. He will face off within the general election against Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, who NBC projected would handily clinch the Democratic nomination.

The swing-state contest is one in all a handful that can decide whether Democrats hold their majority in the Senate break up 50-50 by party. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

Cawthorn is one in every of 13 U.S. Home 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 beforehand held by ex-Trump chief of workers Mark Meadows, is a protected Republican district.

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

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

Tillis got here out swinging in opposition to Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a top rival in the GOP primary. A political motion committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent more than $300,000 on ads attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised considerations of potential insider buying and selling, Tillis openly referred to as for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

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

"Lately, he made some silly errors, which I don't consider he'll make once more," Trump mentioned of Cawthorn, adding, "Let's give Madison a second likelihood!"

Asked by NBC News about Trump's put up, Tillis replied, "Technically, that is the sixth or seventh likelihood."

"He hasn't learned from a mistake he's made over the past yr," the senator mentioned of Cawthorn.