Youngest GOP Nominee Madison Cawthorn Wins North Carolina Seat

Youngest GOP Nominee Madison Cawthorn Wins North Carolina Seat
North Carolina congressional nominee Madison Cawthorn addresses the virtual Republican National Convention on August 26, 2020. (Photo Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images)
Caden Pearson
11/4/2020
Updated:
11/4/2020

Republican nominee Madison Cawthorn has beat out Democrat nominee and retired U.S. Air Force Col. Moe Davis to win North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

Cawthorn, 25, will be one of the youngest people to ever serve in Congress and will take the seat left vacant by Republican Rep. Mark Meadows who left to be President Trump’s chief of staff.

The young GOP nominee, who was left paralysed from a car accident, beat out Trump’s preferred candidate in the June primaries. Cawthorn appeared at the Republican National Convention in August, during which he stood up from his wheelchair to deliver his speech.

Cawthorn wrote on Twitter: “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

“All glory goes to God and I am excited to serve each and every member of this district. Thank you!”

Earlier, he promised his supporters that he would “defend your freedom in Washington.”
President Donald Trump speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on Aug. 24, 2020. (Chris Carlson-Pool/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on Aug. 24, 2020. (Chris Carlson-Pool/Getty Images)

Cawthorn first drew attention after defeating Trump’s preferred candidate in the June GOP primary runoff.

“While the far left is lighting our cities on fire, we are lifting the light of liberty,” he said in June this year following the primary victory.

He added, “We can build new pillars all across this nation and prove Lincoln right when he said, ‘That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.'”

Cawthorn has previously described himself as a constitutional conservative, says on his campaign website that he wants to secure America’s borders, protect religious freedom, and oppose socialized medicine. He also says he’s pro-Trump, pro-life, and pro-Second Amendment. He has sought to portray himself as part of a new generation of Republicans who, he said, are promoting a message of hope, opportunity, and freedom.

His biography describes him as a home-schooled student who was nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy by Meadows in 2014. That plan was derailed when he got into a car accident that left him partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He enjoys hunting, cooking, travel, and fitness.

He delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention in August during which he stood up from his wheelchair with the help of a walker.

Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.