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

Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks earlier than 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 night.

Cawthorn referred to 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 decided who will compete in considered one of this year's essential 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 Club for Growth. He'll face off in the common 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 considered one of a handful that can determine whether Democrats keep their majority in the Senate break up 50-50 by party. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

Cawthorn is one among 13 U.S. House 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 Now 26 years outdated, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2020.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 previously held by ex-Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, is a secure Republican district.

Nevertheless, 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 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 possible insider buying and selling related to a meme cryptocurrency; calling Ukraine's president a "thug" amid an invasion by Russia; and others.

Tillis came out swinging in opposition to Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a prime rival in the GOP main. A political motion committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent greater than $300,000 on adverts attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised concerns of attainable insider buying and selling, Tillis brazenly called for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

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

"Recently, he made some silly mistakes, which I don't imagine he'll make once more," Trump said of Cawthorn, adding, "Let's give Madison a second probability!"

Asked by NBC Information about Trump's post, Tillis replied, "Technically, this is the sixth or seventh likelihood."

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