Madison Cawthorn concedes in North Carolina GOP House primary

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) has conceded defeat in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District.

Cawthorn's representative, Luke Ball, told reporters that the freshman lawmaker called his opponent Chuck Edwards, a conservative state senator, to concede. With about 95 percent of precincts reporting, Edwards has 33.5 percent of the vote, followed by Cawthorn with 31.7 percent.

Cawthorn, 26, recently claimed that other Republican lawmakers openly used cocaine in front of him and invited him to orgies; showed up to an airport with a loaded handgun; was charged with a misdemeanor for driving with a revoked license; and called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "a thug." He had the support of former President Donald Trump, who said over the weekend that Cawthorn "made some foolish mistakes, which I don't believe he'll make again ... let's give Madison a second chance!"

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Edwards has declared victory, saying in a statement, "This is simply incredible. Against all odds, we fought hard to win this election and provide clear conservative leadership for the mountains."