Madison Cawthorn

David Madison Cawthorn (born August 1, 1995) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Cawthorn is the Republican nominee for North Carolina's 11th congressional district in the 2020 elections, after winning the primary in June.[1]

Madison Cawthorn
Personal details
Born
David Madison Cawthorn

(1995-08-01) August 1, 1995
Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Domestic partnerCristina Bayardelle (engaged)
OccupationReal estate investor, politician
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

Cawthorn was born in Asheville, North Carolina to Priscilla and Roger Cawthorn in 1995.[2] He was home-schooled in Hendersonville, North Carolina.[3][4] As a teenager, Cawthorn worked at a Chick-fil-A restaurant. After high school, he was nominated to the United States Naval Academy by U.S. Representative Mark Meadows in 2014, but his application was rejected before his 2014 car accident.[5][6] Some sources report that Cawthorn later received a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship from the United States Marine Corps to North Carolina State University, but he questioned that assertion in a 2017 deposition.[7][8][9] After the accident, he was employed as a staff assistant in Meadows's district office.[5]

In 2014, at age 18, Cawthorn was injured while returning from a spring break trip in Florida. He was a passenger in an SUV on Interstate 4 near Daytona Beach when his friend fell asleep at the wheel and the SUV crashed into a concrete barrier.[10][11] The injuries left Cawthorn partially paralyzed, and he now uses a wheelchair.[4] He accrued $3 million in medical debt during his recovery.[12] His friend's insurance company offered him $3 million to cover his medical treatment, but Crawford sued the company for $30 million. A judge later ruled in the insurer's favor.[5]

Cawthorn attended Patrick Henry College during the fall 2016 semester to study political science. He dropped out at the end of the semester.[5]

Career

Cawthorn is the chief executive officer of SPQR Holdings, LLC, a real estate investment firm in Hendersonville, North Carolina.[13] The firm was created in August 2019, and he is its sole employee.[5]

In the June 2020 Republican primary for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, Cawthorn defeated Lynda Bennett, who had been endorsed both by President Donald Trump and Cawthorn's former mentor,[14] Mark Meadows, who has resigned from Congress to serve as the 29th White House Chief of Staff.[15] Cawthorn gained the support of many local leaders and was endorsed by Mark Walker, the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference.[14][16] His victory has been called an upset.[17][18]

If elected, Cawthorn will be the youngest Republican and one of the youngest members ever elected to the House of Representatives.[19][20] He has said that he would "like to be the face of the Republican Party when it comes to health care."[12]

In 2017 Cawthorn posted an Instagram picture of his visit to Hitler's vacation residence Eagle's Nest, which he said had been on his "bucket list for awhile".[21][22] In the post he called Hitler Führer, a German term of reverence meaning "leader", and the site "supreme evil".[23][24] This led to criticism and allegations of far-right sympathies.[25][24] In response, Cawthorn denied that he has affinities for white supremacists, calling that ridiculous, and said he "completely and wholeheartedly denounce[s] any kind of white nationalism, any kind of Nazism".[25][26] The Anti-Defamation League's analyst Mark Pitcavage said he does not see much merit in the accusations against Cawthorn.[24][25] Members of the Jewish community of his congressional district expressed their concern about the incident, including Esther Manheimer, mayor of Asheville, the 11th Congressional District’s largest city.[27]

Personal life

Cawthorn describes himself as a Christian and a constitutional conservative. He is engaged to Cristina Bayardelle, a college student and competitive CrossFit athlete.[28][29] He has an older brother, Zachary.[30]

References
  1. Fandos, Nicholas (June 23, 2020). "Madison Cawthorn, 24, Upsets Trump-Endorsed Favorite in North Carolina". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  2. "Madison Cawthorn". Vantu News. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  3. "Statement of Candidacy: David Madison Cawthorn" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  4. Brown, Jon (May 15, 2020). "Madison Cawthorn: The fighter". Washington Examiner. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  5. Fielder, Tom (August 12, 2020). "Madison Cawthorn's claim about Naval Academy creates false impression". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  6. Le, John (August 12, 2020). "Madison Cawthorn responds to report that he misled people about his past". ABC 13 News.
  7. Swan, Jonathan (June 24, 2020). "The inside story of Trump's embarrassing endorsement". Axios.
  8. Haug, Jim (April 10, 2015). "Accident survivor returns to thank Halifax Health trauma staff". Daytona Beach News-Journal.
  9. "David Madison Cawthorn v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company". SCRIBD. United States District Court Middle District of Florida Orlando Division. November 9, 2017. No. 4741. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  10. "David Madison Cawthorn v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company". Justia Law. United States District Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. October 25, 2019. No. 18-12067 (11th Cir. 2019). Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  11. "Cawthorn v. Auto-Owners Ins". Leagle. Case No. 6:16-cv-2240... | Leagle.com 20180509902. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  12. "24-Year-Old Easily Tops President Trump's Pick In N.C. Republican Primary". NPR.org. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  13. "State of North Carolina Business Registration for SPQR Holdings, LLC". Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  14. Wong, Scott, Pence confidant helps 24-year-old beat Trump-backed candidate, The Hill, June 24, 2020
  15. Zanona, Melanie, A Cawthorn in Trump's Side, Politico Huddle, Politico, June 25, 2020
  16. Homan, Timothy R. (June 24, 2020). "Pence confidant helps 24-year-old beat Trump-backed candidate". TheHill. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  17. Oprysko, Caitlin. "Trump congratulates 24-year-old who upset White House's chosen candidate in N.C. runoff". POLITICO.
  18. Fandos, Nicholas (June 23, 2020). "Madison Cawthorn, 24, Upsets Trump-Endorsed Favorite in North Carolina". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  19. "Madison Cawthorn, 24, Upsets Trump-Endorsed Favorite in North Carolina". Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  20. "Political newcomer beats Trump's pick in North Carolina GOP congressional primary". Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  21. Morris, Jim. "NC House candidate is under fire for posts some call sympathetic to white nationalists". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  22. Sales, Ben. "Madison Cawthorn's visit to Hitler's vacation home alarms his NC district's Jews". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  23. "Rep. NC Congress candidate deletes pictures from his stay at Hitler's". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  24. CNN, Sunlen Serfaty and Clare Foran. "GOP congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn on the defensive over social media post of visit to Hitler retreat". CNN. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  25. Robertson, Gary D. (August 12, 2020). "NC candidate defends posts; says he despises racism". Associated Press. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  26. Le, John (August 12, 2020). "Madison Cawthorn responds to report that he misled people about his past". WLOS. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  27. Sales, Ben. "Madison Cawthorn's visit to Hitler's vacation home alarms his NC district's Jews". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  28. Stimson, Brie (June 24, 2020). "Who is Madison Cawthorn?". Fox News. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  29. Farrell, Paul (June 24, 2020). "Cristina Bayardelle: GOP Rising Star Madison Cawthorn Is Engaged to CrossFit Star". Heavy. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  30. Nichloas, Angela (October 11, 2018). "Home of the Week: Accessible but charming Flat Rock cottage". Citizen Times. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
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