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

Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks before 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 Photographs

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 known as state Sen. Chuck Edwards to concede the race, the congressman's spokesman advised 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 night. He led the race with greater than 33% of the vote, in contrast with roughly 32% for Cawthorn.

"Congratulations to @ChuckEdwards4NC on securing the nomination tonight," Cawthorn mentioned 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 certainly one of this yr'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 both by Trump and the influential conservative group Club for Growth. He'll face off within the common election in opposition to 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 every of a handful that may determine whether Democrats preserve their majority within the Senate break up 50-50 by celebration. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

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 Now 26 years outdated, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2020.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

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

The controversies swirling around Cawthorn embrace: making claims about different 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 potential insider trading related 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 motion committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent more than $300,000 on ads attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised issues of potential insider trading, Tillis brazenly known as for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

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

"Just lately, he made some silly errors, which I do not believe he'll make again," Trump stated of Cawthorn, adding, "Let's give Madison a second chance!"

Asked by NBC News about Trump's post, Tillis replied, "Technically, this is the sixth or seventh probability."

"He hasn't realized from a mistake he is made over the last 12 months," the senator stated of Cawthorn.