GOP underdog's overwhelming primary win raises questions about the power of a Trump endorsement
President Trump may have to re-evaluate his endorsement bragging rights.
On Tuesday night, 24-year-old political newcomer Madison Cawthorn defeated the Trump-endorsed Lynda Bennett in North Carolina's 11th district GOP primary. It's one of the first times a candidate Trump endorsed lost their primary to another Republican, and definitely notable considering that Cawthorn will become the likely replacement in White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows's old seat.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Republicans in the district actually seemed turned off by Meadows' efforts to boost Bennett. After all, he left his seat a little more than a day before the filing deadline for North Carolina's congressional race, leading some to suspect he told Bennett of his plans ahead of time. Someone appearing to be Meadows' brother even registered a campaign domain for Bennett back in October, per Politico. That all likely contributed to Cawthorn's 30-point win over Bennett on Tuesday night — and weakened Trump's threats against Republicans who don't stay in line and earn his support.
-
Political cartoons for December 17Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include healthcare costs, the affordability hoax, giving up pencils, and more
-
Trump vs. BBC: what’s at stake?The Explainer The US president has filed a $10 billion lawsuit over the editing of Panorama documentary, with the broadcaster vowing to defend itself
-
Animal Farm: has Andy Serkis made a pig’s ear of Orwell?Talking Point Animated adaptation of classic dystopian novella is light on political allegory and heavy on lowbrow gags
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
