Congressional candidate will face Moe Davis in November
Madison Cawthorn
Madison Cawthorn won Tuesday’s Republican primary run-off in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, a seat held by Mark Meadows since 2013. Meadows resigned late last year to become President Trump’s Chief of Staff.
Cawthorn, 24, defeated Lynda Bennett with 30,333 votes or 66 percent, compared to Bennett’s 15,806, according to unofficial results from the State Board of Elections.
The 11th congressional district includes Clay and 16 other western counties. Locally the race was nearly tied. Cawthorn won Clay County by a margin of 474 to 471 votes. The runoff generated a low turnout with 14 percent of eligible voters participating in the second priary, according to figures on the state BOE website.
“Tonight, the voters of the 11th district of North Carolina said they’re ready for a new generation of leadership in Washington. You turned our message of hope, opportunity and freedom into a movement. While the far left is lighting our cities on fire, we are lifting the light of liberty. Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden may not be able to control where the Democrats are going but, together, we can,” Cawthorn said in a press release from his office.
MCawthorn was homeschooled in Hendersonville and was nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy by Rep. Meadows in 2014. However, his plans were derailed that year after he nearly died in a tragic automobile accident that left him partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair, according to the press release from his office.
He is engaged to be married to Cristina Bayardelle.
Cawthorn is the owner and CEO of a real estate investment company and also a motivational speaker. He described himself as a “constitutional conservative.”
Cawthorn will face Democratic Party challenger and Asheville resident, Moe Davis in the general election.
“Congratulations to Madison Cawthorn on his win over Lynda Bennett, but now we turn our attention to November,” Davis said in a statement on his website. “We all know that western North Carolina has fallen behind in access to healthcare, education, jobs that pay well and more. We’ve got an opportunity to change course and lean into the future. Better days are ahead and I’m committed to do all I can to see that we get there.”
Davis is a retired Air Force colonel, former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, Director of the Air Force Judiciary, law professor, judge, speaker, writer and national security expert for Congress, according to his biography.
The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3.