A 24-Year-Old Republican Just Defeated a Trump-backed Candidate in NC Primary Race For Meadows' Seat

Madison Cawthorn, a 24-year-old political newcomer defeated his Trump-backed opponent, Lynda Bennett, in North Carolina’s primary runoff election Tuesday to fill former Rep. Mark Meadows’ congressional seat.

Cawthorn, the CEO of a real estate investment company and motivational speaker, received more than 65 percent of the vote despite the fact that Bennett, in addition to the president’s backing, had the support of Meadows and Sen. Ted Cruz. 

Cawthorn had Mark Meadows as his speech and debate coach in high school and now he’s beat the candidate that Meadows and Trump endorsed against him. https://t.co/HPZVaUchr1

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 24, 2020

Cawthorn’s campaign slogan is “send a fighter to Congress” because of the many challenges he’s overcome—most significantly a horrible 2014 car accident on his way to the U.S. Naval Academy (which he was nominated to by Meadows) that left him partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair. 

On his campaign website, Cawthorn says his “spirit, determination, faith, and courage have been tested in ways very few will ever face,” and it’s prepared him to take on Democrats in Congress.  

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