Onetime Rising Star Madison Cawthorn Faces GOP Fight as Gaffes Pile Up
- Self-inflicted controversies draw opposition from within party
- Incumbent has seven challengers in North Carolina primary
Madison Cawthorn during a rally for former President Donald Trump in Selma, North Carolina, in April.
Photographer: Allison Joyce/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Madison Cawthorn is a telegenic pro-Trump Republican running in a solidly GOP North Carolina district. And yet the youngest member of Congress is facing a fight to get re-elected.
Cawthorn, 26, had been a rising star in the Republican Party. But since taking office in 2020, he’s also been a magnet for scrutiny and criticism over his statements, social media posts and run-ins with authorities. All of that has drawn him seven opponents in Tuesday’s GOP primary and the scorn of party elders.