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

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 major election on Tuesday night time.

Cawthorn called 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 Information projected Edwards as the primary winner within the state's 11th Congressional District on Tuesday night. He led the race with more 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's 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 decided who will compete in one among this 12 months'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 each by Trump and the influential conservative group Membership for Development. He'll face off within the normal election against Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, who NBC projected would handily clinch the Democratic nomination.

The swing-state contest is certainly one of a handful that will decide whether or not Democrats preserve their majority in the Senate cut up 50-50 by celebration. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

Cawthorn is certainly one of 13 U.S. House members from North Carolina. Now 26 years old, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2020. His seat, which was previously held by ex-Trump chief of workers Mark Meadows, is a protected Republican district.

However, the first-term lawmaker's reelection bid grew to become one of many state's most-watched main races, thanks to a variety of scandals and missteps that spurred harsh criticism — even from some Republicans.

The controversies swirling around Cawthorn include: making claims about different lawmakers doing illicit medication and alluring him to orgies; driving with a revoked license; bringing a loaded handgun to an airport; being eyed by ethics watchdogs over suspicions about attainable insider trading related to a meme cryptocurrency; calling Ukraine's president a "thug" amid an invasion by Russia; and others.

Tillis came out swinging against Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a top rival within the GOP primary. A political action committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent more than $300,000 on adverts attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised issues of attainable insider trading, Tillis overtly referred to as for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

Trump, in the meantime, defended Cawthorn in a social media post over the weekend.

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

Asked by NBC News about Trump's publish, Tillis replied, "Technically, that is the sixth or seventh probability."

"He hasn't learned from a mistake he's made during the last 12 months," the senator said of Cawthorn.