Mess Around with the Establishment and Find Out
Those focused on the Republican primary race in the 11th congressional district of North Carolina, located in the most western part of the state, may be wondering how Representative Madison Cawthorn lost his race in a primary election, even if he held the incumbency. After all, about 95% of incumbents do secure re-election. What makes Cawthorn's loss quite remarkable is the fact it can now be used as a case study of political history in three ways: The first is understanding how seasoned politicians continue to have influence in their state. Second, constituents do not like it when they feel ignored by their elected public officials, even if they too admire ‘America First’ values. And last but not least, third, why having an all communications type of office may not be the key to having success in Congress.
In a short article published by Abigail Adcox for the Washington Examiner, she detailed how some people have put a legal effort to get Cawthorn off the ballot due to his role in the so-called January 6, 2021 “insurrection.” Cawthorn during the infamous date was said to have spoken at the rally located on the southern grounds of the White House, routinely called the Ellipse, just before President Trump spoke. At the time of the article’s publication February 22, 2022, North Carolina had not yet finalized redistricting the congressional map due to a state supreme court order, which called the GOP-led map as “partisan gerrymandering.” Eventually the case against Cawthorn was to be tossed out by a federal judge a couple weeks later, with the ability for the plaintiffs to appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.1
The article also mentioned that Cawthorn was planning to release legislation similar to Newt Gingrich’s Contract for America during the 1994 midterms, this time tweaking that same title ever-so slightly to be called the “New Contract For America.” This of itself was condescending due to the fact that Cawthorn, a freshman rank-and-file congressperson, had not impressed a vast majority of his own party. At least Gingrich back then actually made good impressions, grew respect amongst his colleagues, and rose through the ranks of his party. Cawthorn thought this legislation interpreted to be the Republican party’s platform, but in reality, it had no chance to change the foundation of the party anyway. After all, even if Cawthorn called it to be a road map of his generation to reclaim America, Cawthorn was no Newt Gingrich.2
By the end of March, Cawthorn went on a podcast called the Warrior Poet Society to which the comments he made were enough to have whatever support in his own party practically turn to dust. When asked on the show if life as a member of Congress was similar to the former popular Netflix drama series House of Cards, he responded to the following by saying explicitly:
“The sexual perversion that goes on in Washington ... being kind of a young guy in Washington where the average age is probably 60 or 70, I look at all these people - a lot of them who I've looked up to throughout my life ... then all of a sudden you get invited to like, 'Well hey we're going to have kind of a sexual get together at one of our homes. You should come,' like, what did you just ask me to come to? And then you realize they're asking you to come to an orgy… There's some of the people that are leading the movement to try and remove addiction in our country and then you watch them doing, you know, a key bump of cocaine in front of you and it's like wow, this is wild.”3
Perhaps most people given this question who serve in public office or work in public affairs would have said “no” as a straightforward answer, or to say politics in reality is similar to the HBO series Veep. Popular conservative speaker Ben Shapiro even a week beforehand tweeted a similar answer, “‘The West Wing’ is more of a fantasy than ‘Harry Potter.’ ‘Veep’ is way closer to how DC actually operates than ‘The West Wing.’”4
Those who may disagree with Shapiro’s political ideology, such as Tommy Vietor, who worked for the White House under President Obama, also agreed that Veep was a more accurate-to-life show. In an interview with Pod Save America back in April of 2017, Vietor, alongside other insiders of the Obama administration, Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, interviewed the show’s executive producer David Mandel. Vietor spoke about the hit show at the time, “The funny thing about ‘Veep’ is, we as people who worked in the White House always get asked, okay, what’s the most real? Is it ‘House of Cards? Is it ‘West Wing’? And the answer is, it’s ‘Veep.’ Because you guys nail the fragility of the egos, and the, like, day-to-day idiocy of the decision-making.”5
To go back even further, Russell Berman wrote an article in August of 2014 for the Atlantic describing how Veep’s characters, “are refreshingly familiar to anyone who has spent time on Capitol Hill. Sure, they are caricatures, but their subtle and not-so-subtle jousting for influence captures a big part of the staffer style in Washington.” Later noting that although the show may not be the most true-to-life of DC has to offer, it's the satire results that makes it recognizable.6
To give better context about Congress altogether, conservative representatives such as Thomas Massie (R-KY), Ken Buck (R-CO), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the 2020 HBO documentary film The Swamp have done a better job than Cawthorn explaining the true working of the legislative branch.
After Cawthorn’s comments were made on the podcast show, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wanted to have a word with the freshman representative. In a meeting that went on for 30 minutes, McCarthy stated to reporters, “I just told him he’s lost my trust, he’s gonna have to earn it back, and I laid out everything I find is unbecoming. And, you can’t just say, ‘You can’t do this again.’ I mean… he’s got a lot of members very upset.” Even when Cawthorn was with the Republican leader, McCarthy expressed his concerns on how Cawthorn may have changed his original claim, where perhaps a staffer was doing cocaine from the parking garage instead. With no evidence behind such allegations, the situation unfolding had become frustrating for McCarthy, warning Cawthorn that statements of such magnitude affect not only members of Congress, but the whole country as well. It was unacceptable for not telling the truth, and that he should turn himself around, expressed McCarthy.7
GOP House minority Whip Steve Scaliese (R-LA) said in an interview that leadership expressed to Cawthorn, “real concern with some of the things that he’s done recently. And obviously, the ball’s in his court in terms of how to respond. But we were very clear with the concerns we had - and a lot of other members too.” Other House members who often like to keep a low profile and stay quiet amongst political firestorms, became angered by Cawthorn’s comments, especially from increased calls by constituents to their offices.8
In a five-authored article, by Rachel Janfaza, Melaine Zanona, Manu Raju, Alex Rogers, and Marshall Cohen, all from CNN, they described in their April publication highlighting Cawthorn becoming, “the center of chaos within the GOP” in recent weeks. Aside from the comments he made on the podcast show, and calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug,” and a remark on how his country’s government was “incredibly evil,” Cawthorn had not only lost the trust from top leadership in his party’s House conference as previously mentioned, but a prominent member from across the hallway in the Senate too, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). Tillis would be backing Cawthorn’s primary challenger, North Carolina state senator Chuck Edwards, more to be detailed - and he’s not the only one serving the state that felt this way. Many who have been tired of Cawthorn have made a consideration to endorse other challengers in the primary as well, since most of them felt he has been, “dragging down the entire party with his problematic behavior.”9
In a Youtube segment by populist progressive commentator Kyle Kulinski, on his show Secular Talk, he ran a short ad clip from Cawthorn’s campaign that ran with the following message:
“Career politicians sell out for money. They sell out for power and they sell out just so the media won't attack them. I have never folded in Washington and the Swamp hates me for it. Right now RINOs [Republican In Name Only] are spending millions of dollars in North Carolina to defeat me. They want someone who will make backroom deals to sell out our values, and someone will abandon America First principles. I never folded in Washington and I never will. I'm Madison Cawthorn, and I approve this message. Because western North Carolina doesn’t need a sell-out. We need a fighter.”10
Kulinski went on to emphasize in his personal remarks towards Cawthorn, that none of the actual policies he put forward ever challenged the establishment. Instead his policies were rather power-serving. When it came to his voting record, it was one as if he were a standard Republican. “And this is the trick that a lot of Republicans have been using - elected Republicans have been using in modern times, is they use this ‘anti-establishment rhetoric’ but they’re power-serving fundamentally in what actually matters which is their votes. So you can talk all-day long about the elites, and you know, the establishment, but if at the end of the day… you’re not standing up to anybody,” Kulinski added.11
In November of 2021 when Cawthorn publicly announced his decision to run for the 13th congressional district, before the map was struck down by the state’s supreme court, Susan Tillis, the wife of the prominent North Carolina Senator, tweeted out, in a response to a Twitter user, “@DallasWoodhouse I can assure you that those of us in the new 13 didn't need any intervention and we are capable of making our own decisions.”12
Isaac Arnsdorf wrote in an article for the Washington Post about the events later that would unfold for Cawthorn. In the piece, Arnsdorf described that Cawthorn asked the senator through texts [attained by The Post] why his wife was attacking Cawthorn through Twitter. Tillis responded claiming he didn’t see the tweet his wife sent at the time, “Just spit ballin here… but maybe because you’ve attacked her husband?” In which Cawthorn replied, “I don’t feel like I’ve attacked you that much… I think I’ve said I don’t think your [sic] conservative enough, did not realize that made us enemies.” Arnsdorf noted Republican officials, plus those who work in the political realm, said that the freshman representative faced a conundrum ranging from insulting leaders of his own party, and neglecting constituent services.13
Tillis supported the endorsement for Chuck Edwards, and even raised money for the candidate. In doing so, super PACs ran the 11th district with tv ads and mailers in an effort to highlight Cawthorn’s mishaps that have drawn headlines over the last few months.
“For Tillis,” Arnsdorf explained, “who doesn’t face voters again until 2026 after winning reelection as a firm supporter of Trump - the turn against Cawthorn is driven by frustration with the freshman’s antics, disappointment with his scant legislative record and an element of personal payback, according to Republican officials and operatives in North Carolina.” In a statement to The Post, Cawthorn said, “The establishment in Washington and North Carolina has fought against my reelection to Congress in a way I’ve never seen before. The people of Western North Carolina see through it. Our campaign is on track to win a great victory next week, no matter what comes our way.”14
It’s important to note three things: The first, according to a field organizer named Isaac Herrin in the 11th district who runs in Republican circles, he said, “The knives have come out because he [Cawthorn] has not been a friend to the people of his district who helped put him in office, and he has not been a friend of some of the people in North Carolina who hold political power.” This makes the observation very likely that Cawthorn may have had trouble befriending people in Washington and his home state for political support, as well as having difficulty of a welcoming reputation to be the best of service towards the constituents of his district. The second, in an August meeting last year in Macon County, Cawthorn publicly called out Senator Tillis (who was not up for re-election years later) as both a terrible campaigner, and a RINO. It was those remarks of political insults towards Tillis that would make Republicans in North Carolina politics enraged. Lastly, third, was the switch to change districts in November. Cawthorn said at the time, “I am afraid that another establishment go-along-to-get-along Republican would prevail there… I will not let that happen.” Perhaps unbeknownst to him, by publicly announcing he would run in a different district, he would go on to anger constituents, and develop enemies in his state party to the boiling point, especially state House Speaker Tim Moore, who would eventually team up with Tillis to endorse Chuck Edwards.15
All of this gives reason as to why there was going to be a primary onslaught for a matchup that many would highlight as a key race, even if Cawthorn circled back to his original district of origin, it was never going to be the same once he left for a brief period of time.
Arnsdorf followed up on the funding against Cawthorn in the congressional race in further detail:
“Even more air support - at least $630,000 - has come from a super PAC called Results for NC that previously backed Tillis and the state’s other senator, Richard Burr. The PAC’s mailers, text messages and TV, radio and online ads savage Cawthorn for defending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and getting caught in lies and embarrassing antics. The PAC funded the blitz by raising $1.2 million in April, including $500,000 from cryptocurrency mogul Ryan Salame, the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets. Salame declined to comment. The super PAC also received $670,000 from Americans for a Balanced Budget, an anti-deficit outfit run by North Carolina GOP operative Douglas ‘Dee’ Stewart, who declined to comment. A gas station business led by J. Hall Waddell of Hendersonville, N.C., gave the super PAC another $30,000. Waddell, who did not respond to requests for comment, has previously donated to both Cawthorn and Tillis.”16
In addition to super PAC spending, Taylor Giorno for Open Secrets, in her article published the day after the primary, discussed their influence in this key race. When Tillis first ran his race for Congress in 2014, the super PAC called Grow NC Strong, was created to back him at the time, when he served the position as state House Speaker. Because of their alliance with Tillis, the organization spent $1.5M against Cawthorn on television and digital advertisements aimed at the district, while they spent $165k to support Edward’s campaign. Another super PAC that may have had little recognition, but was registered with the FEC was Fight to Win America, who spent $117k on the final week into the state’s primary, using maneuvers such as door hangers, ads, and canvassing opposing Cawthorn, all while spending $179k to Edwards.17
Though Cawthorn was able to raise over $3.5M, which is twice the amount an average House member needs to run, and four times the amount of Edwards, who raised just over $803k. By April’s end, according to the Federal Election Commision (FEC) data, Cawthorn had $137k cash-on-hand, while Edwards had $191k. A further look into Cawthorn’s ability to raise funds for his campaign revealed that only 24% of donors were from his home state of North Carolina, while the rest came from outside states such as Texas, California, and Florida. Most of the contributions his campaign received came from those who chipped in small donations, less than $200, which accumulated for the $2.1M raised. Meanwhile in the Edwards camp, despite putting down his own money to his campaign at the amount of $250,000, and largely benefiting from super PACs, small donors only made up for about $15k altogether.18
As stated before, constituents do not like it when their concerns aren’t heard, or at the very least fallen on deaf ears. This rings about former allegations that Cawthorn had his district offices closed, as per Andrew Kerr in his piece from the Washington Examiner. A photo by a constituent later attained by the said news agency showed a sign that was posted outside his Waynesville office that read in all caps, “THIS OFFICE IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR REGULAR SERVICES,” directing below the Hendersonville office to contact. From a short video attained by the same paper from another constituent in the district showed a man walk into the office building in Burnsville, noting that the lights inside were off, to which he turned on. He soon proceeded to show a whiteboard list of office rentals, before walking towards Cawthorn’s main office down the hall, with the House of Representatives seal on it. This person attempted to have the door open, first by playing with the knob before proceeding to knock on the door, and shortly left after no one had answered.19
A representative from the manager's office of Macon County told the Washington Examiner that it’s been months since a staffer from Cawthorn’s office had shown up in the Franklin district. Even in Hendersonville, a woman named Pam Ledford told the news organization, “There's a sign on the door that's got his email address and states: 'For further information, you can call the Hendersonville office.’ I talked to some of the girls that their office is close to that office, and they haven't seen anybody there in a couple of months. I don't know if they plan to come back."20
Such remarks from various constituents of Cawthorn’s absence, let alone office closings, have become an issue for voters as the May 17 primary started to kick in. However, Cawthorn believed another DC-established paper, The Washington Post, was spreading a lie that his offices were closed, where he stated in part of a 7-minute video clip:
“This is an article that is alleging - really, it's spreading a lie that an ex-staffer told about me, and was recorded coordinating with a Democratic super PAC, that I have closed congressional offices. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have as many offices as possible with our congressional budget. We were really the first freshman to have all five offices up and running on day one."21
As for his remarks of a Democratic super PAC, that on his part was a correct claim, since the Fire Madison Cawthorn PAC was also known to be named as the Democratic American Muckrakers PAC, which spent $16k on publishing stories against Cawthorn, and “was weaponized by Grow NC Strong’s sizeable war chest,” according to Giorno’s article provided earlier.22
That ex-staffer Cawthorn mentioned was Lisa Wiggins who in early April stated in a recording that may have been unbeknownst to her knowledge of being recorded with a Fire Madison Cawthorn PAC co-founder, that the congressman, “doesn’t care about his constituents.” Further noting, “He didn’t have enough caseworkers to man them, He didn’t care - he doesn’t care about his constituents. He does not care.”23
His spokesman Luke Ball defended the congressman by stating to the paper that his office is open available for constituent needs or concerns every weekday, district offices through the state are staffed by appointment, while the Hendersonville and DC offices are available during the week by person and by phone. “We’re proud to have closed over 1,8000 constituent cases over the last year and a half for western North Carolina.”24
In a lengthy column in what may be regarded by some as a political hit piece published a few days before the North Carolina primary, written by Michael Kruse of Politico, he dived deep into Cawthorn’s personal struggles, as well as some political woes, from supporters and opponents of him alike.
In the middle of the piece, surpassing the fluff and other stories, Kruse noted that Cawthorn has not been the same person he once was after he won his election. In particular, when he was on The View, Cawthorn said, “We kept all politics local. We were just focused on caring about the people I want to represent.” Perhaps it was a predicament at the time, because as important local politics is, it’s also vital to point out that in recent years, local politics has become national. And with time to reflect between his victory in June 2020 to the oath of office he was to take in January of the following year, Cawthorn may have seen an opportunity to become a national legislator, and to achieve that, he had to heavily rely on being an office built around communications.25
Not only a couple days into his first week as a new congressman after voting party-line for Kevin McCarthy in hopes to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives on January 3rd 2021, Cawthorn was to have said during the January 6th public rally event on White House grounds, “My friends, I want you to chant with me so loud that the cowards I serve with in Washington DC can hear you.”26
So much for making a strong first impression. Not only a full week in, Cawthorn made a judgment call of which the people he served alongside were cowards, despite promising early on prior to his swearing in, to find ways for bipartisanship and common ground on legislative matters.
Abby Vesoulis of TIME wrote a piece later that same month, explaining how Cawthorn’s approach to his new job was to be reliant on messaging, a key he thought at the time if he were to be successful in congressional politics.27 Instead of working to pass new legislation, Cawthorn made sure his office solely focused on communications, as Vesoulis suggested in her most recent article:
“After his 2020 election, Cawthorn boasted that he had big legislative plans to work across the aisle, bring down healthcare costs, and improve rural broadband. But shortly after he took office, he wrote a memo to Republican colleagues - which TIME obtained - saying he had built his congressional staff around ‘comms rather than legislation.’ In other words, Cawthorn wanted to be a megaphone for the right, not a policymaker for it.”28
She also noted that when it came to Cawthorn’s success as a legislator alone, zero of thirty-seven bills that he introduced in the 117th congressional session passed the House, with only a single digit amount of six co-sponsored bills out of 342, becoming law. Constituents had little luck finding his offices available to reach with some district offices closed causing increased concern for those living in mountainous regions of the district.29
Chris Cooper, a political science professor of Western Carolina University who had studied much of Cawthorn and the 11th district primary race, described Cawthorn’s exit in November 2021 to change districts hoping it would serve under a more conservative jurisdiction, made way for Chuck Edwards and others to throw their hat in the ring. The following February, Cawthorn revoked that decision and returned back to his original district, having to face Edwards and the others in a contested primary race. “It’s the feeling of resentment for leaving, and it’s the fact that he left, and it was a very different race than the one he returned to.”30
What made Edwards in particular more appealing to voters, according to Cooper, was his ability to appear more of a grown up, who had a reputation for being a conservative christian, and didn’t like being part of the public spotlight much of the time. Not to mention his experience as a legislator in state politics who is informed about issues ranging from, policy, legislation, and constituent matters lacked by Cawthorn. Some voters in general may have grown irritated by Cawthorn’s tendency to grab headlines, and Edwards was able to show the capability of not being a “star-power candidate.”31
In a remark back in March when pressed about Cawthorn, Sen. Thom Tillis said, “At the end of the day, people in his district are going to have to vote for him and I would ask them to look at his record and ask what has he done since he’s been here… What is his track record of working on tough issues and what’s he done for the western part of the state.”32
With the constitutional right to speak aloud about their public officials through their votes, primary voters on May 17, 2022 proclaimed dissatisfaction by who they sent into Washington just a couple short years ago. The people have an obligation to express their concerns, especially if that public official doesn’t exceed their best interest. Even if they admire ‘America First’ values too, they also have a right to be resentful. Politics in the realm of public affairs, is often regarded as a profession solely reliant on the people you know. People skills are incredibly valuable in this field, especially if one were to make strong relationships with other elected officials that are eager to benefit the public good.
If perchance Cawthorn was able to revise his office strategy very early on in the first month of his new job to act on the behalf of struggling constituents, lessen the need for communications staff to allow for additional policy staff in his offices, not hop districts to score political points, and develop the people-skills necessary with other elected officials in his state - who may have given him meaningful advice and future aid - maybe Cawthorn would have had a better reputation as a public servant for the 11th district. But in the end, he took the path to attain fame without any serious responsibility, which resulted in losing trust with his constituents, various politicians throughout both DC and his home state, and seeing how influential the establishment wing continues its presence till this day.
Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had both a large image and establishment-backing in his state, wrote an op-ed for the Atlantic, recognized publicly that he too made many mistakes in office, and lost the ability to connect with his constituents, “I failed to give New Yorkers a clear sense of where I was taking them. I lost my connection with the people because I mistook real policy for real popularity. I let a focus on individual initiatives, no matter how noble or substantive, distract me from offering an overarching vision for the future.”33 As cringeworthy de Blasio might be nowadays, especially his increasing desire to run for a House seat in NYC, he drew a meaningful statement that can be learned for many who seek public office.
Losses are tough, and the best lessons to be learned through life are by those types of moments. Running for public office is a challenge on its own, and it does turn one’s life around for better or for worse no matter the party affiliation. As Cawthorn wraps up his term as a first-term congressman in the coming months, he may be able to learn from his mistakes, even if that may involve taking a vacation from politics for a time.
Many are not sure of what the future holds for Madison Cawthorn, but despite the defeat by a little more than a thousand votes, just knowing he was elected to become the youngest person to become a member of Congress a few short years ago, since the mid-1960s, in its own right deserves a historic moment to be proud about. Increased potential for younger people having thrown their hat in the ring to run for public office entails the hope that the American Dream may still be alive, and that there will continue to be a bright shining city on the hill for America’s next generation of legislators to come.
Abigail Adcox, “Cawthorn Says Bid to Keep Him Off Ballot ‘Very Close to Succeeding,’” The Washington Examiner, February 22, 2022, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/madison-cawthorn-says-challenge-to-reelection-eligibility-very-close-to-succeeding. ; Marshall Cohen, "Judge Shuts Down January 6-based Challenge to Rep. Madison Cawthorn's Candidacy," CNN, March 4, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/politics/madison-cawthorn-north-carolina/index.html.
Adcox, “Cawthorn Says Bid to Keep Him Off Ballot ‘Very Close to Succeeding,’” The Washington Examiner, February 22, 2022. ; Craig Angioletti, “The Contract for America: Terms and Conditions May Apply,” The Legislative Route, January 26, 2022,
Morgan Phillips, "GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn says He Has Been Invited to 'Orgies' in DC and 'Sexual Perversion' and Cocaine Use is Rife in the Nation's Capital." Daily Mail UK, March 28, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10660209/Madison-Cawthorn-says-invited-orgies-DC-cocaine-use-rife.html.
Ben Shapiro, Twitter Post, March 22, 2022,
Tim Molloy, "Obama Aides Say ‘Veep’ More Accurate Than ‘West Wing,’ ‘House of Cards’," The Wrap, April 17, 2017, https://www.thewrap.com/obama-aides-say-veep-accurate-west-wing-house-cards/.
Russell Berman, "Why 'Veep' Trumps 'House of Cards' in TV's Battle of the Beltway," The Atlantic, August 25, 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2014/08/why-veep-teaches-more-about-the-dc-swamp-than-house-of-cards/379045/.
Alayna Treene, “Cawthorn Tells McCarthy Orgy, Cocaine Remarks were Exaggerated,” Axios, March 30, 2022, https://www.axios.com/2022/03/30/cawthorn-mccarthy-orgy-cocaine-exaggerated. ; Chris Cillizza, “‘I’m Very Disappointed’: Kevin McCarthy Had a Meeting with Madison Cawthorn Over His Orgy and Cocaine Claims,” CNN, March 30, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/30/politics/madison-cawthorn-orgy-cocaine-claim-response/index.html. ; Nicholas Reimann, “‘He’s Lost My Trust’: McCarthy Rebukes Cawthorn Over Allegations of Orgies and Cocaine Use,” Forbes, March 30, 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/03/30/hes-lost-my-trust-mccarthy-rebukes-cawthorn-over-allegations-of-orgies-and-cocaine-use/?sh=7c75764a7ed4.
Olivia Beavers, “McCarthy: Cawthorn’s ‘Lost My Trust’ Following Orgy and Cocaine Comments,” Politico, March 30, 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/30/mccarthy-cawthorn-lost-trust-orgy-cocaine-comments-00021816.
Rachel Janfaza, Melaine Zanona, Manu Raju, Alex Rogers, and Marshall Cohen, "Who is Madison Cawthorn, the Freshman Congressman Causing Headline Chaos for the GOP?," CNN, April 1, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/31/politics/madison-cawthorn-background-controversy/index.html.
Kyle Kulinski, "Madison Cawthorn RESPONDS To Crossdressing & Groping Scandal," Secular Talk, May 2, 2022,
Kulinski, "Madison Cawthorn RESPONDS To Crossdressing & Groping Scandal," Secular Talk, May 2, 2022.
Hannah Mackenzie, "Switching Districts: Congressman Cawthorn says He's Running for Seat in NC District 13," ABC 13 News, November 11, 2021, https://wlos.com/news/local/switching-districts-congressman-cawthorn-says-hes-running-for-seat-in-nc-district-13. ; Susan Tillis, Twitter Post, November 12, 2021,
Isaac Arnsdorf, "Inside the Republican Campaign to Take Down Madison Cawthorn," The Washington Post, May 10, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/05/10/thom-tillis-madison-cawthorn-primary/.
Arnsdorf, "Inside the Republican Campaign to Take Down Madison Cawthorn," The Washington Post.
Ibid. ; Madison Cawthorn, Twitter Post, November 11, 2022,
Arnsdorf, "Inside the Republican Campaign to Take Down Madison Cawthorn," The Washington Post.
Taylor Giorno, "Republican Super PACs Spent Big Against Madison Cawthorn Before His Loss in the North Carolina Primary," Open Secrets, May 18, 2022, https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/05/republican-super-pacs-spent-big-against-madison-cawthorn-before-his-loss-in-the-north-carolina-primary/.
Arnsdorf, "Inside the Republican Campaign to Take Down Madison Cawthorn.” ; Giorno, "Republican Super PACs Spent Big Against Madison Cawthorn Before His Loss in the North Carolina Primary," Open Secrets, May 18, 2022.
Andrew Kerr, "Pictures and Video Contradict Cawthorn's Claim he Hasn't Closed District Offices," May 10, 2022, The Washington Examiner, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pictures-and-video-contradict-cawthorns-claim-he-hasnt-closed-district-offices.
Kerr, "Pictures and Video Contradict Cawthorn's Claim he Hasn't Closed District Offices," The Washington Examiner, May 10, 2022.
Ibid ; Madison Cawthorn, Twitter Post, May 4, 2022,
Giorno, "Republican Super PACs Spent Big Against Madison Cawthorn Before His Loss in the North Carolina Primary.”
Kerr, "Pictures and Video Contradict Cawthorn's Claim he Hasn't Closed District Offices," The Washington Examiner.
Ibid.
Michael Kruse, "'He's Not OK': The Entirely Predictable Unraveling of Madison Cawthorn, Politico, May 13, 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/13/madison-cawthorn-injury-profile-00032002.
Kruse, "'He's Not OK': The Entirely Predictable Unraveling of Madison Cawthorn, Politico, May 13, 2022.
Abby Vesoulis, "‘He’s Saying One Thing and Then He’s Doing Another.’ Rep. Madison Cawthorn Peddles a Different Kind of Trumpism in a Post-Trump World," TIME, January 27, 2021, https://time.com/5931815/madison-cawthorn-post-trump/.
Abby Vesoulis, "Why Madison Cawthorn Lost His Race," TIME, May 18, 2022, https://time.com/6178176/madison-cawthorn-lost-north-carolina/.
Vesoulis, "Why Madison Cawthorn Lost His Race," TIME, May 18, 2022.
Ibid. ; Kerr, "Pictures and Video Contradict Cawthorn's Claim he Hasn't Closed District Offices," The Washington Examiner.
Ibid.
Manu Raju, Twitter Post, March 29, 2022,
; Manu Raju Twitter Post, March 29, 2022,
.
Bill de Blasio, "Joe Biden Can Learn From My Mistakes," The Atlantic, May 3, 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/bill-de-blasio-joe-biden-approval-2022-midterms/629740/.