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 evening.

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

NBC Information projected Edwards as the primary winner in the state's eleventh Congressional District on Tuesday night time. He led the race with more 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 determined who will compete in one in every of this 12 months's vital U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate primary 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 Development. He'll face off in the general election against Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court docket, who NBC projected would handily clinch the Democratic nomination.

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

Cawthorn is one in every of 13 U.S. House members from North Carolina. Now 26 years previous, 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 safe Republican district.

Nonetheless, the first-term lawmaker's reelection bid turned one of many state's most-watched main races, due to a variety 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 alluring 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 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 greater than $300,000 on advertisements attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised concerns of possible insider buying and selling, Tillis overtly referred to as for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

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

"Lately, he made some silly mistakes, which I do not believe he'll make once more," Trump said of Cawthorn, adding, "Let's give Madison a second chance!"

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

"He hasn't realized from a mistake he is made over the past yr," the senator said of Cawthorn.