Edwards defeats Madison Cawthorn in GOP primary in western NC congressional race

State Sen. Chuck Edwards, backed by much of the state's Republican establishment, defeats U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the GOP primary for the 11th Congressional District in far western North Carolina.

Posted 11:36 p.m. May 17, 2022 — Updated 12:59 p.m. May 18, 2022

Brian Murphy

and

Chris Lovingood, WRAL News

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn had a stunning rise to Congress. The 26-year-old first-term congressman from far western North Carolina now has an equally incredible fall—his reelection bid foiled by intraparty opposition, a slew of self-inflicted mistakes and, perhaps most damaging, a short-lived and ill-fated decision to switch districts during the redistricting process.

Cawthorn lost the Republican nomination in the 11th Congressional District to state Sen. Chuck Edwards on Tuesday. With all precincts reporting, Edwards won with 33% of the vote, defeating Cawthorn by little more than 1,300 votes. None of the other six Republican candidates reached 10% of the vote. Cawthorn called Edwards to concede Tuesday night.

Edwards is expected to face Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara in November’s general election. With all precincts reporting, Beach-Ferrara had 59% of the vote, leading her nearest challenger by 34%. She has raised more than $1.5 million, much of it from small-dollar donors across the county eager to support Cawthorn’s potential opponent.

“This is simply incredible. Against all odds, we fought hard to win this election and provide clear conservative leadership for the mountains,” Edwards said in a statement Tuesday night.

The first-term congressman faced a litany of issues in recent months as the once unthinkable prospect of him losing the nomination became more and more plausible. The stumbles included a ballot challenge, leaked personal photos and videos to citations for driving and firearms violations. He also accused his fellow representatives of drug use and sex parties, insulted a popular foreign leader and faced allegations of playing loose with campaign finance rules.

State Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-District 48 (Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania)

Despite Cawthorn’s issues, former President Donald Trump this week said Cawthorn deserved a “second chance” despite making “foolish mistakes.” Not even the backing of the nation’s most popular Republican could save Cawthorn among his constituents. The state’s Republican establishment meanwhile had lined up behind Edwards, offering him critical support in the campaign’s final weeks.

Just two years ago, Cawthorn was seen as a rising star in the party. He defeated a candidate backed by Trump and former U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows in a second primary in 2020. Soon after Trump first backed Cawthorn and handed the young candidate a primetime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. Cawthorn, who began using a wheelchair after a car crash in which he was a passenger, seemed poised to be a national star.

He had no difficulty attracting attention, quickly establishing himself as an unabashed defender of Trump-era policies and an unrelenting critic of President Joe Biden. He often trolled Democrats and even some of his fellow Republicans on Twitter and other platforms.

But the controversies added up, his first term marked by distractions and allegations. Before winning the election in 2020, he was accused of sexual harassment and assault by former college classmates. Cawthorn spoke at a rally before the violent Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, for which he faced a ballot eligibility challenge.

Cawthorn faced a string of self-inflicted personal and political wounds in the lead-up to the election, ranging from driving violations to a citation for bringing a gun to an airport for the secnd time in little more than a year to questionable comments about GOP colleagues who he claimed invited him to a sex party, a claim that drew strong rebukes from fellow Republicans in Congress.

In March, he called Ukraine’s president a “thug,” again putting him at odds with the majority of his party. In recent weeks, opposition groups have leaked graphic videos of Cawthorn and he’s faced questions of potential family self-dealing for paying his second cousin more than $141,000 through U.S. taxpayers and campaign donors.

The biggest political misstep, however, may have come late last year when Cawthron announced he was running in a different district, one that included some of his current counties, in a bid to stop House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland County, from a potential congressional run. But when a new voting map was implemented in February, Cawthorn was left with no viable seat outside of one that closely resembled his current district. It opened the door for challengers like Edwards.

“That’s a baseless claim. Some of my counties were taken away from me,” Cawthron said during a brief appearance Tuesday. “I don’t believe that it was an abandonment at all. It was an opportunity to take ground for conservatism.”

Edwards played up his “mountain values” at every turn, trying to create a contrast with Cawthorn, who some critics said hadn’t served his constituents in rural North Carolina while seeking the national spotlight.

On the campaign trail, Edwards sought to present himself to voters as the moderate, pragmatic alternative to a flamboyant, internet-savvy opponent. Edwards also argued he could best defeat a Democrat in the general election by bringing minimal baggage into such a contest. Edwards, who owns several McDonald’s franchises, has served in the state Senate since 2016.

“Republicans chose Chuck Edwards tonight because he is the embodiment of Mountain values who will fight for them every single day in Congress with honor and integrity,” said U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a supporter of Edwards. “I have no doubt that he will win in November and I can’t wait to work together on behalf of Western North Carolina.”

Edwards was also backed by Moore, Senate leader Phil Berger and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

The far-western North Carolina district, which shares state lines with Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina, covered all or part of 15 counties. Cawthorn won 12 of the 15 counties Tuesday, but Edwards won significant margins in Buncombe and Henderson counties – the district’s two biggest sources of votes.