How to beat Madison Cawthorn

by | Nov 18, 2021 | Editor's Blog | 8 comments

Madison Cawthorn says he switched districts to keep another establishment Republican out of Congress. That Republican was North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore. Moore is about as traditional a North Carolina Republican as you can get—solidly conservative on both social and fiscal matters. He’s just not a raging populist attention hound like Cawthorn and his cronies, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Paul Gosar. 

The real reason Cawthorn switched districts is because the new 13th District is more Republican than the new 14th District where he lives. Moore promptly got out of the race because he knows he would have trouble defeating Cawthorn in a primary. It’s a sad commentary on the state of the GOP. 

I wish Moore had stayed in the race. The establishment needs to put up a fight and they need to start to restore some level of accountability to their party. Moore might have lost the primary but at least he could have begun to push back against the authoritarian idiocy of Cawthorn.

Cawthorn believes that he can coast to victory in a district like NC-13. His populist rhetoric resonates with the angry GOP base and he’s raised a ton of money, protecting himself in a GOP primary. Republicans cut the district for Moore so no Democrat stands much of a chance. Trump won it by 20%. 

However, there probably is a way to beat Cawthorn. An conservative independent could give Cawthorn a run for his money, especially if that person brings some electoral experience to the race. Democrats would also probably need to stand down and give the independent candidate Democratic votes. Even with a Democrat in the race, an independent might be able to win. 

The ideal candidate would be a current or former Republican with little tolerance for the performative hijinks of Cawthorn. They would have solid conservative credentials and bring a serious demeanor that commands respect. They would make the case about restoring accountability, making government work for the people, and putting constituent services above personal ambition. They can pledge not to caucus with the Democrats in Congress and not to vote for a Democratic House Speaker. 

The candidate would not have to face a primary. Republicans made getting on the ballot as an independent much easier, one of the few things on which I agree with them. The candidate would need to have the ability to consolidate the independent voters in the district and bring in some Democratic votes and some Republican ones. It’s worked before in other places.

I can think of several former members of the legislature and local elected officials who served as Republicans, but who don’t reflect the angry populism of Cawthorn. One of them should step up. North Carolina doesn’t need a dangerous idiot like Cawthorn representing us in Congress. Besides, conservatives need to fight for their party instead outright surrendering to the Trumpists. 

8 Comments

  1. Dallas Woodhouse

    Lets see what happens. I am not convinced that a governing conservative can’t win the GOP primary.

  2. Jody Stuart Foyles

    What is the establishment Republican party and where are those people? Romney, Cheney and Ryan are no longer representative of the party, they are outliers being forced out by the base. Their desire to hang on to the Republican Party is choosing to ignore the large boulder getting ready to come crashing down on them. The idea being that an Independent Conservative who use to be a Republican could beat Cawthorn in that district is, in my opinion, overly optimistic about the state of the party and the fairness of the newly created districts. All the proof you need is the decision of Moore not to run. Gerrymandering is to blame for that, which is ironic since Moore played such a large role in the gerrymandering that makes someone like him irrelevant against a Cawthorn.

  3. phoenix

    From where I sit. Observing what is going on in the country I get the feeling that an establishment republican is in actuality the last thing Republicans rank and file want. Because the establishment compromise away rights and works with RINO to empower They have no spine and have compromised the country into the mess we have today, and no principles and direction in how to get it back on track. Who needs that?

    For instance six of them voted for the “infrastructure bill” which is going to do very little that is real. They have a penchant for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

    There is no taste for them anymore. For good reason.

    If Cawthorn is successful he is only one guy he won’t be able to do much of anything, He be marginalized in Washington.

    • cocodog

      Cawthorn has problems with whatever he attempts. Turned down by the Naval Academy, booted out of college, the only work experience he brings to the job is that of a clerk in a fast-food restaurant, prevarication about the accident that caused his injury and those who attempted to assist, attempting to bring a loaded firearm aboard a commercial aircraft, harassing school board members for their efforts to protect the children attending their school from a deadly disease. Any voter who would support him had best give some serious thought to their value system. Thank God he is marginalized in Washington.

  4. Angela

    Spot on.

  5. phoenix

    What is a trumpist?

    • cocodog

      Seriously, are still trying figure it out? several folks have given you some good leads even a 4th grader could follow. LOL, you must be a republican bargain basement bot!

      • phoenix

        I guess you don’t know then.

        What is a trumpist. I see it tossed around all the time but I ask wherever I go and NO ONE can tell me.

        So what is it. I really want to know.

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