Republican first-term congressman Madison Cawthorn acknowledged that North Carolina Republicans voted to end his time in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday after a string of self-inflicted controversies turned major figures in the party against him.
US Rep. Madison Cawthorn. Photo: AFP
Local media and CNN reported he had conceded defeat, citing Cawthorn's campaign spokesman Luke Ball.
A nude video, claims he was invited to a cocaine-fueled Washington orgy by leaders he respected, two attempts to carry a gun onto an aeroplane and calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a thug in the midst of a Russian invasion turned colleagues against the 26-year-old, who is Congress's youngest member.
A last-minute plea by former President Donald Trump to give the first-term congressman "a second chance" was not enough to hold off a challenge by state Senator Chuck Edwards.
"The establishment Republicans in North Carolina are embarrassed by Madison Cawthorn," said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University situated in the 11th congressional district that Cawthorn represents.
His antics motivated a Republican super PAC in the state to rally around Edwards, who eked out a win on Tuesday with enough of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Cawthorn's staff did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
"I just see a lack of judgement," said Republican US Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who said Cawthorn had not demonstrated a serious interest in serving as a legislator even when the state was hit by flooding.
"It just makes me wonder how focused he is on serving the people of his district, versus focused on increasing his political stature. I have no patience for anybody who's got a focus on the latter," Tillis said.
"On any given day he's an embarrassment," retiring Republican US Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina said ahead of the primary.
Cawthorn was seen as a rising star of the Republican Party after the political newcomer defeated a Trump-endorsed candidate in 2020.
This time, Cawthorn had Trump's endorsement and the former president pleaded on his behalf on the day before Tuesday's primary.
"When Madison was first elected to Congress, he did a great job. Recently, he made some foolish mistakes, which I don't believe he'll make again ... let's give Madison a second chance," the former president said in a post on the Truth Social media platform.
Cawthorn saw his lead in opinion polls collapse over the past two months, amid a barrage of attacks from two super PACs with backing from Republicans and Democrats.
In the closing days of the primary race, Results for NC Inc, which has supported Tillis, ran a 30-second ad accusing Cawthorn of being a reckless playboy out to slash spending on Social Security and Medicare.
Edwards, a 61-year-old local businessman who is touting an "America First" agenda, will now be the likely winner of the heavily leaning Republican district in the 8 Nov. election.
Candidate who had stroke Friday wins Pennsylvania governor nomination
Pennsylvania state Senator Doug Mastriano, who has amplified Trump's false claims of 2020 voter fraud, won the state's Republican gubernatorial primary, setting up a high-profile clash against Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro in November's midterm elections.
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania's critical US Senate race, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman won the Democratic nomination despite having been hospitalized since Friday after suffering a stroke.
Fetterman, a progressive Democrat whose victory over centrist US Congressman Conor Lamb came just hours after he had a pacemaker implanted to address the irregular heart rhythms that caused the stroke, has said doctors expect a full recovery.
The Republican senatorial primary in Pennsylvania remained too close to call, with TV wellness celebrity Mehmet Oz - endorsed by Trump - vying for the party's nomination against former hedge fund executive David McCormick and conservative political commentator Kathy Barnette.
"If you'll allow me to be brutally honest for a second, 2022 is going to be hard year for Democrats," the tattooed, goateed Fetterman, who prefers shorts and hoodies to suits, said in an fundraising email to supporters. "A typical Democrat running a typical campaign isn't going to win."
In North Carolina, US Representative Ted Budd, also backed by Trump, won the Republican Senate nomination on Tuesday.
The Pennsylvania and North Carolina Senate races are two of the most important contests in the 8 Nov. elections, as President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats fight to retain their slim majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate. Both seats are currently held by retiring Republican senators.
Budd, who beat former Governor Pat McCrory, will face Democratic former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who easily won her party's nomination in the race to succeed Senator Richard Burr.
US President Joe Biden. Photo:
Fears of extremism
Republicans are well positioned to regain control of the House, which could enable them to frustrate Biden's legislative agenda. Biden's public approval rating is at 42 percent, with 50 percent of Americans disapproving of his performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll completed on Tuesday.
Democrats have a better chance of keeping control of the Senate, currently split 50-50 between the parties with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.
In Pennsylvania, Trump endorsed Mastriano, whose rise, along with that of Barnette, has worried some establishment Republicans that the duo could prove too extreme for voters in the general election.
Mastriano, who was present outside the U.S. Capitol when Trump supporters attacked it on Jan. 6, 2021, played a significant role in the Trump campaign's failed effort to overturn Pennsylvania's 2020 presidential results based on false claims of voter fraud.
Mastriano also has said he would pursue a statewide abortion ban after a leaked draft opinion showed the Supreme Court is poised to overturn its landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion nationwide.
Shapiro, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination, has vowed to protect abortion rights. He said on Tuesday that he was isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19.
Barnette, seeking to become Pennsylvania's first Black US senator, has called her rivals insufficiently conservative. She was photographed marching toward the Capitol on the day of the riot alongside members of the extremist Proud Boys group shortly before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in a failed bid to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Barnette's campaign told NBC she did not take part in or condone the destruction of property and has no connection to the Proud Boys.
The final outcome of the Pennsylvania Republican US Senate primary may not be known tonight. Officials said voters requested 908,000 absentee or mail-in ballots. State law prevents these from being processed until Election Day.
Trump has endorsed more than 150 candidates as he tries to solidify his status as his party's kingmaker, though his picks have not always prevailed. His support helped author J.D. Vance win the Ohio Senate primary, but his favoured candidate lost in Nebraska's gubernatorial race last week.
Primary elections were also taking place on Tuesday in Kentucky, Oregon and Idaho, where incumbent Republican Governor Brad Little faced Trump-backed primary challenger Janice McGeachin, the state's lieutenant governor.
- Reuters