Trump-backed Rep. Madison Cawthorn concedes North Carolina GOP main

Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks before a rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump at The Farm at 95 on April 9, 2022 in Selma, North Carolina.

Allison Joyce | Getty Photos

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, the scandal-prone freshman lawmaker backed by former President Donald Trump, conceded defeat in his Republican main election on Tuesday evening.

Cawthorn known as state Sen. Chuck Edwards to concede the race, the congressman's spokesman told reporters. Edwards had been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

NBC News projected Edwards as the primary winner in the state's eleventh Congressional District on Tuesday evening. He led the race with greater than 33% of the vote, compared with roughly 32% for Cawthorn.

"Congratulations to @ChuckEdwards4NC on securing the nomination tonight," Cawthorn said in a tweet. "It is time for the NC-11 GOP to rally behind the Republican ticket to defeat the Democrats' nominee this November."

North Carolina voters on Tuesday had already determined who will compete in considered one of this year's critical U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate primary within the race to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr, NBC projected.

Budd is backed both by Trump and the influential conservative group Membership for Progress. He will face off within the general election against Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court docket, who NBC projected would handily clinch the Democratic nomination.

The swing-state contest is one in every of a handful that may decide whether Democrats maintain their majority within the Senate break up 50-50 by social gathering. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

Cawthorn is considered one of 13 U.S. Home members from North Carolina. Now 26 years outdated, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2020. His seat, which was beforehand held by ex-Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, is a secure Republican district.

Nonetheless, the first-term lawmaker's reelection bid turned one of the state's most-watched major races, due to a variety of scandals and missteps that spurred harsh criticism — even from some Republicans.

The controversies swirling around Cawthorn embody: making claims about different lawmakers doing illicit drugs and inviting him to orgies; driving with a revoked license; bringing a loaded handgun to an airport; being eyed by ethics watchdogs over suspicions about potential insider buying and selling associated to a meme cryptocurrency; calling Ukraine's president a "thug" amid an invasion by Russia; and others.

Tillis got here out swinging against Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a prime rival within the GOP primary. A political action committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent more than $300,000 on advertisements attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised concerns of attainable insider buying and selling, Tillis openly referred to as for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

Trump, meanwhile, defended Cawthorn in a social media put up over the weekend.

"Not too long ago, he made some foolish mistakes, which I do not consider he'll make again," Trump mentioned of Cawthorn, adding, "Let's give Madison a second probability!"

Requested by NBC News about Trump's submit, Tillis replied, "Technically, this is the sixth or seventh likelihood."

"He hasn't realized from a mistake he's made over the last year," the senator mentioned of Cawthorn.