Madison Cawthorn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Madison Cawthorn
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Official portrait, 2020
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th district |
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| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Meadows |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Edwards |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Madison Cawthorn
August 1, 1995 Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Cristina Bayardelle
(m. 2020; sep. 2021) |
| Signature |  |
David Madison Cawthorn (born August 1, 1995) is an American politician. He served as a U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party. Cawthorn describes himself as a Christian and a constitutional conservative.
In 2014, Cawthorn was in a car accident that left him permanently paralyzed. This meant he needed to use a wheelchair. After working for U.S. Representative Mark Meadows, Cawthorn was elected to Congress in 2020. He became the first member of Congress born in the 1990s. Cawthorn lost his re-election bid in the 2022 Republican primary. Chuck Edwards won the general election instead.
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Early Life and Education
Madison Cawthorn was born on August 1, 1995, in Asheville, North Carolina. His parents are Priscilla and Roger Cawthorn. He was home-schooled in Hendersonville, North Carolina, until 12th grade. He also played football with a local team for home-schooled students. As a teenager, he worked at a Chick-fil-A restaurant.
Car Accident and Recovery
In 2014, when he was 18, Cawthorn was seriously hurt in a car accident. He was a passenger in an SUV returning from a trip to Florida. The driver fell asleep, and the vehicle crashed. The accident left Cawthorn partially paralyzed. This meant he needed to use a wheelchair.
Before his injury, Cawthorn had been nominated to the United States Naval Academy. However, his application was not accepted. Later, during his 2020 campaign, he said the accident stopped his plans to attend the academy.
In 2016, Cawthorn attended Patrick Henry College to study political science. He later left college. He said his injuries made it hard for him to learn and study.
Early Career
From 2015 to 2016, Cawthorn worked as a staff assistant for U.S. Representative Mark Meadows. He worked in Meadows's local office.
Cawthorn also owned a real estate investment company called SPQR Holdings, LLC. The company started in 2019. It did not report any income.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2020 Election
In March 2020, Madison Cawthorn ran in the Republican primary election for North Carolina's 11th congressional district. He came in second place. Because no one got enough votes, there was a second election called a runoff. Cawthorn won the runoff election by a large amount. This was seen as a surprise victory.
During his campaign, Cawthorn visited Adolf Hitler's former vacation home, the Eagle's Nest. He posted a picture online saying it was on his "bucket list." This caused some people to worry about his views. Cawthorn said the allegations that he supported certain extreme ideas were "ridiculous." He said he completely disagreed with any kind of white nationalism or Nazism. He later deleted the social media post.
Cawthorn spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention. In November 2020, he won the general election against Moe Davis. He took office on January 3, 2021.
Cawthorn was the youngest Republican in the 117th United States Congress. At 25, he was one of the youngest people ever elected to the House of Representatives. He was also the first member of Congress born in the 1990s.
2022 Election
In November 2021, Cawthorn first said he would run for re-election in a different district. This was because new district maps were being drawn. However, after new maps were approved in February, he decided to run again in his original 11th district.
On May 17, 2022, Cawthorn lost the Republican primary election. He was defeated by Chuck Edwards, a state senator. Edwards won by a small number of votes.
Challenge to Serve
In January 2022, some voters in North Carolina challenged Cawthorn's right to run for office. They said he took part in a rally before the Capitol riot in January 2021. This challenge was based on a part of the 14th Amendment. This part says that people who have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S. government cannot hold public office.
Cawthorn tried to stop the challenge in court. A judge first ruled in his favor. But in May 2022, a higher court disagreed. The appeals court said that an old law from after the American Civil War did not protect him from this challenge. The court did not decide if Cawthorn was eligible to serve, only that the old law did not apply to his situation.
Time in Congress
During his time in Congress, Cawthorn was known for his strong speeches. He said he wanted to be a messenger more than a lawmaker. He focused on communicating with people.
2020-2021
In December 2020, Cawthorn said he would try to challenge the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. He claimed there was fraud, but there was no proof of this. He used these claims to raise money for his campaign.
Cawthorn officially became a member of Congress on January 3, 2021. On January 20, the day Joe Biden became president, Cawthorn was one of 17 new Republican members who signed a letter. The letter congratulated President Biden and hoped for cooperation between parties.
2022
In November 2022, it was reported that Cawthorn had closed his offices two months before his term ended. He later bought a home in Florida. Because his offices were closed, people who needed help from their representative were told to contact the office of the new representative, Chuck Edwards.
Political Ideas
Cawthorn said he wanted to be a leader for the Republican Party on health care.
He supports removing Confederate statues. He believes they represent states leaving the United States. However, in June 2021, he voted against a bill to remove statues of white supremacists and Confederates from the U.S. Capitol.
Cawthorn has said that climate change is "pretty minimal."
He falsely claimed that the 2020 United States presidential election was fraudulent. But he later changed his mind about this claim in a TV interview in January 2021.
Cawthorn supported a bill called the American Tech Workforce Act of 2021. This bill would change rules for certain work visas. It would make it harder for some foreign graduates to work in the United States.
Committee Work
While in Congress, Madison Cawthorn served on these committees:
- House Committee on Education and Labor
- House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Groups He Joined
Cawthorn was also a member of these groups in Congress:
- Republican Study Committee
- Freedom Caucus
Personal Life
Madison Cawthorn says he is a Christian. He has an older brother named Zachary.
Cawthorn married Cristina Bayardelle in December 2020. She was a college student and an athlete. They had a larger wedding ceremony in April 2021. In December 2021, Cawthorn announced that they were getting divorced.
Cawthorn said he trained for wheelchair racing for the 2020 Summer Paralympics. However, he never reached the level needed to compete.
Images for kids
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Cawthorn speaking at a Turning Point USA event in 2020
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See also
In Spanish: Madison Cawthorn para niños
