‘He’s an Embarrassment’: North Carolina Republicans Turn on Madison Cawthorn

Madison Cawthorn/Twitter

A number of high-profile Republicans in North Carolina have had enough of Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) after his latest controversy.

The 26-year-old’s claim he has witnessed open drug use and been invited to engage in group sex among Washington’s elite has been the last straw for many in the Tar Heel State.

The freshman congressman told podcaster John Lovell last week he has seen a thing or two in his 14 months repressing North Carolina’s 11th congressional district.

After alleging he was invited to salacious gatherings by people he once respected, Cawthorn said, “‘What did you just ask me to come to?’ And then you realize they’re asking you to come to an orgy.”

He added, “Some of the people leading on the movement to try and remove addiction in our country, and then you watch them do a key bump of cocaine right in front of you,” Cawthorn also said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Wednesday he did not believe Cawthorn’s depiction of Washington as a sexual playground for coked-out elites. Lawmakers in North Carolina are not buying it either.

The saga is one of many in recent months which saw Cawthorn manage to generate negative press for himself, and for North Carolina. Cawthorn recently called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug.”

The comment was uttered days before the lawmaker called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) an alcoholic. Pelosi does not drink.

To begin the month of March, Cawthorn described country music singer Toby Keith as a “great Philosopher.” In January, he cleaned a firearm during a Zoom meeting with military veterans.

Cawthorn also engaged in a war of words with Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) last year in which he stated, “You know damn well who I am” During a shooting match, after McKinley had asked, “What is your name?”

“On any given day, he’s an embarrassment,” said retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) also had harsh words for the youngest member of the House.

“It comes down to focus on the district, producing results for the district, and in my opinion, Mr. Cawthorn hasn’t demonstrated much in the way of results over the last 18 months [sic],” Tillis told CNN.

According to the New York Times, some state Republicans are also ready to move on from Cawthorn this fall.

Michele Woodhouse, the GOP chair for Cawthorn’s district, is challenging him in the upcoming primary. She told the Times, “People of western North Carolina are tired of the antics.”

Woodhouse is one of seven Republican challengers vying to send Cawthorn back home for good.

One disenfranchised 2020 Cawthorn voter told the Times he would not cast a ballot for the congressman a second time.

“I voted for Madison, but I think I’ll pass now because of integrity issues,’’ said a voter named John Harper. “I was fooled last time. I won’t be fooled again.”

Despite criticism of Cawthorn, one state employee did offer him relative praise earlier this month.

State Trooper Tyler Gantt, who issued the North Carolina Republican his most recent traffic citation, described him as “very polite and cooperative” after a March 3 stop.

Cawthorn was cited for driving with revoked license for a second time.