Madison Cawthorn loses primary

[Bob Juch]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/us/p ... y-gop.html

Chuck Edwards, a three-term state senator and business owner, has edged out Representative Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary for a House seat representing North Carolina’s 11th District.

Luke Ball, a representative for Mr. Cawthorn, said late Tuesday that the congressman had called Mr. Edwards to concede.

The outcome served as a rebuke of Mr. Cawthorn, a right-wing firebrand and the youngest freshman in Congress, who was once seen as a rising star of the Republican Party.

It is also a significant victory for the old guard Republicans in North Carolina and Washington who in recent months had been feuding with Mr. Cawthorn over his personal and political errors and foibles.

Mr. Edwards, 61, has served in the state Legislature since 2016 and has built a staunch conservative brand by pushing measures to overhaul tax laws, enact a constitutional amendment for voter identification, and require county sheriffs to work with immigration enforcement agencies.

He entered the race with a natural constituency of traditional Republican primary voters, as well as endorsements from Senator Thom Tillis and most of the members of the Legislature in his district. Like Mr. Cawthorn, he was born and raised in rural Hendersonville, a city of 14,000 south of Asheville.

[Ritterskoop]

He was going to be fine, until he insulted Senator Thillis' wife. That, plus some other stuff, finally embarrassed the party and they turned on him. But they were smart about it by naming one of the eight other candidates as their favorite; otherwise the votes would have been split and Cawthorn probably wouldv'e gotten the nomination (and likely a second term, as the 11th is a solid R).