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 time.

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 primary 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 is 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 yr's important U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate major 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 Club for Growth. He will face off in the normal 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 among a handful that will determine whether Democrats hold their majority within the Senate cut up 50-50 by party. 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 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 grew to become one of the state's most-watched main 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 different lawmakers doing illicit drugs 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 doable insider trading related to a meme cryptocurrency; calling Ukraine's president a "thug" amid an invasion by Russia; and others.

Tillis got here out swinging against Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a top rival within the GOP major. A political action committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent greater than $300,000 on ads attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised concerns of possible insider trading, Tillis openly known as for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

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

"Not too long ago, he made some silly errors, which I do not believe he'll make once more," Trump mentioned of Cawthorn, adding, "Let's give Madison a second likelihood!"

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

"He hasn't learned from a mistake he is made over the past year," the senator stated of Cawthorn.