Cawthorn was seeking a second term in his western North Carolina congressional district
Rep. Cawthorn loses North Carolina GOP House primary, concedes race
North Carolina GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn on Tuesday night lost his bid for a second House term.
He conceded the race at about 10:25 p.m. Eastern time, according to several news outlets.
When Cawthorn conceded, he had 31.7% of the vote, compared to closest challenger Chuck Edwards with 33.5%, with 99% of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press.
In 2020, the 26-year-old congressman became the youngest person elected to Congress and quickly established himself as a popular conservative firebrand.
However, a series of incidents – including a tale about sex and drugs among Washington lawmakers, traffic violations, and a series of leaked, unflattering videos cost him the support of Washington Republicans.
Former President Trump continued to back Cawthorn, including an eleventh-hour plea to voters that the congressmen has learned from his mistakes, but it was not enough to save him from defeat in the eight-candidate primary.