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

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 Images

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 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 News projected Edwards as the first winner within the state's 11th Congressional District on Tuesday night. He led the race with more than 33% of the vote, in contrast 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 determined who will compete in certainly one of this year's important U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate main 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 Club for Growth. He will face off within the general election in opposition to 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 may decide whether Democrats keep their majority within the Senate cut up 50-50 by party. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

Cawthorn is one of 13 U.S. Home 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 Now 26 years outdated, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2020.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 beforehand held by ex-Trump chief of workers Mark Meadows, is a protected Republican district.

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

The controversies swirling round Cawthorn embody: making claims about other lawmakers doing illicit medicine 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 potential insider trading 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 within the GOP primary. A political action committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent more than $300,000 on advertisements attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised concerns of potential insider trading, Tillis openly 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 silly errors, which I do not believe he'll make once more," Trump stated of Cawthorn, including, "Let's give Madison a second chance!"

Requested by NBC News about Trump's publish, Tillis replied, "Technically, this is the sixth or seventh chance."

"He hasn't learned from a mistake he's made over the past yr," the senator mentioned of Cawthorn.