Madison Cawthorn Files to Run for Congress, This Time in Florida — Says He Was Motivated by Charlie Kirk Assassination

Screenshot via YouTube.

Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), whose single term in Congress ended with an ignominious primary defeat, has filed to run again, this time in the southwest Florida district Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is vacating to run for governor.

Cawthorn, who turned 30 in August, frequently ended up in the headlines during his only term in Congress, but almost always for his controversial comments and scandalous activities rather than any legislative accomplishments.

He racked up multiple traffic violations, including driving with a revoked license (twice). He was busted for trying to board a plane with a gun (also twice). He was accused of violating the STOCK Act by failing to disclose crypto investments. He accused teetotaler former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) of being an alcoholic, accused his fellow members of Congress of having cocaine-fueled orgies, ripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “thug,” and called Ukraine “incredibly evil” and “woke.”

Then there were the photos that surfaced showing Cawthorn drinking and wearing women’s lingerie during a cruise ship vacation, and a video showing him nude and dry-humping another man.

North Carolina Republicans turned on Cawthorn, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) endorsing his 2022 primary opponent, and then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) publicly denounced him, saying the freshman congressman had “lost my trust.”

State Sen. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) defeated Cawthorn in the primary, 33.4% to 31.9%, and sailed to an easy general election victory in the deep-red district. A few days later, Cawthorn posted on Instagram bitterly vowing to activate “dark MAGA” to “defeat the cowardly and weak members of our own party.”

After losing his congressional seat, Cawthorn abandoned North Carolina and moved to Florida, leaving Edwards having to resort to making a public call for help on the transition after Cawthorn failed to turn over constituent files.

Earlier this year, rumors began circulating that Cawthorn was plotting a return to office. Earlier this month, Cawthorn got arrested again, this time in his new district in Cape Coral, for failing to appear in court after being cited by police for driving without a valid license.

On Wednesday, Cawthorn officially announced he was running for Florida’s 19th congressional district in a video posted to his social media accounts.

In the video, Cawthorn calls Florida “the heart of the MAGA movement” and includes clips of him speaking in Congress, at the 2020 Republican National Convention, at President Donald Trump’s campaign rallies, and at a Turning Point USA event with Charlie Kirk. A screenshot of an August 2020 tweet posted by Kirk is shown that reads, “America needs more fighters like Madison Cawthorn.”

Cawthorn told Fox News that he was motivated by Kirk’s assassination last month, saying he “knew that there was really no option” afterwards, and added that he “want[ed] to make sure [the people of Florida] have amazing representation in Washington, D.C., because I know exactly what happens in the swamp.”

The former North Carolinian enters an already crowded field, including two other former elected officials from other states, former Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) and former Illinois State Sen. Jim Oberweis, plus Marine aviator Mike Pedersen and Sun Broadcasting President Jim Schwartzel. Howard Sapp is running as a Democrat, but the district is one of the reddest in Florida, and is widely assumed it will be settled in the primary.

Watch above via YouTube.