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

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 Pictures

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 mentioned 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 year's critical U.S. Senate races: Rep. Ted Budd will win the Republican Senate main in 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'll face off within the basic election towards 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 can determine whether Democrats preserve their majority in the Senate cut up 50-50 by social gathering. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a tiebreaking vote for Democrats.

Cawthorn is one in all 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 Now 26 years outdated, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2020.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 workers Mark Meadows, is a protected Republican district.

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

The controversies swirling around Cawthorn embody: making claims about other lawmakers doing illicit medication and inviting 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 towards Cawthorn. He endorsed Edwards, a top rival in the GOP main. A political motion committee affiliated with Tillis reportedly spent greater than $300,000 on advertisements attacking Cawthorn. And after the watchdogs raised concerns of potential insider buying and selling, Tillis brazenly called for a congressional ethics investigation into Cawthorn.

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

"Recently, he made some silly errors, which I don't believe he'll make once more," Trump mentioned of Cawthorn, including, "Let's give Madison a second probability!"

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

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