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Tags: rep. madison cawthorn | maga | donald trump | gop | control

Defeated Rep. Cawthorn Calls for 'Dark MAGA' to Grab Control of GOP

madison cawthorn speaks at a press conference
Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., speaks during a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

By    |   Friday, 20 May 2022 08:14 AM EDT

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., took to social media to call on "Dark MAGA to truly take command" and "defeat the cowardly and weak members" of the Republican Party.

Cawthorn, who despite having former President Donald Trump's endorsement lost Tuesday's GOP primary in North Carolina's new 11th district to state Sen. Chuck Edwards, vowed to expose legislators who "say and promise one thing yet legislate and work towards another, self-profiteering, globalist goal."

"The time for gentile [sic] politics as usual has come to an end. It's time for the rise of the new right, it's time for Dark MAGA to truly take command," Cawthorn said in an Instagram post Thursday.

"We have an enemy to defeat, but we will never be able to defeat them until we defeat the cowardly and weak members of our own party. Their days are numbered. We are coming."

The 26-year-old Cawthorn, a first-term lawmaker and youngest member of Congress, has faced a series of controversies recently. He was cited for possession of a dangerous weapon when a loaded handgun was found in his belongings at a security checkpoint — the second time he had a gun seized by the TSA since being sworn into office — and in a podcast, he linked members of his own party with orgies and cocaine use.

Although Trump asked voters to give Cawthorn "a second chance," establishment Republican members backed Edwards.

On his Instagram post, Cawthorn listed the names of "America First Patriots." They included Trump; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.; Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; former Trump adviser Steve Bannon; and the National Rifle Association, and others.

"When the establishment turned their guns on me, when the Uni-party coalesced to defeat an America First member very few people had my back," Cawthorn wrote. "This list includes the lion share of figures that came to my defense when it was not politically profitable. These are honorable men and women who are the type of friends anyone yearns to have."

The list did not include House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., or Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

McCarthy in late March told Cawthorn that he had "lost confidence" in the congressman after the comments alleging lawmakers took part in orgies and drug use.

Tillis backed Edwards against Cawthorn in the primary.

"It comes down to focus on the district, producing results for the district, and in my opinion, Mr. Cawthorn hasn't demonstrated much in the way of results over the last 18 months," Tillis told CNN.

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Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., took to social media to call on "Dark MAGA to truly take command" and "defeat the cowardly and weak members" of the Republican Party.
rep. madison cawthorn, maga, donald trump, gop, control
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2022-14-20
Friday, 20 May 2022 08:14 AM
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