A Republican super PAC has hit scandal-magnet Rep. Madison Cawthorn with a slew of attack ads in the past month in an effort to oust the GOP freshman in the upcoming North Carolina primary.
The PAC, known as Grow NC Strong, was created in 2013 to support Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican, but has turned its fire on Mr. Cawthorn. Mr. Tillis became critical of Mr. Cawthorn’s statements and behavior and endorsed one of his primary opponents, State Sen. Chuck Edwards.
Mr. Cawthorn, 26, a lawmaker and wheelchair user who is paralyzed from the waist down, has provided the PAC with plenty of fodder that surfaced during his first term in office.
That includes his comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being a “thug” and the Ukrainian government being “incredibly evil,” driving on a revoked license twice, claiming he was invited by fellow lawmakers to an orgy and do cocaine, and falsely saying the U.S. Naval Academy accepted him.
In another instance, he was caught lying to a Capitol Police officer to sneak a GOP candidate onto the House floor and was busted at an airport security checkpoint with a loaded firearm on two occasions. Now, Mr. Tillis wants him investigated for insider trading.
In the latest video attack ad released Tuesday by the PAC, the voiceover says, “Always in the limelight. Now Madison Cawthorn is starring on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin State TV. Putin used Cawthorn’s claims to defend his war crimes while Putin slaughtered innocent Ukrainians.” Images of Mr. Putin, Mr. Cawthorn and war-torn Ukraine flash across the screen.
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“Cawthorn voted against banning the Russian oil funding Putin’s terror. Worse than helping our enemies, Cawthorn hurts our heroes. His plan cuts veterans’ benefits by $80 billion. Madison Cawthorn helps our enemies, hurts our heroes,” the voiceover says at the end of the ad.
A previous ad from the PAC that began running two weeks ago slammed Mr. Cawthorn for “stolen valor” for saying he was accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy when he first ran for office, accusing him of “lies for the limelight.”
More recently, embarrassing images and videos of Mr. Cawthorn went public, and Mr. Cawthorn faced a complaint from a former fired staffer who claimed that he violated the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Mr. Edwards hit Mr. Cawthorn with an attack ad of his own early last month, staying with the theme that Mr. Cawthorn ran for office to be in the “limelight” to become a political “celebrity.”
He added, “If you want a celebrity, then watch the Kardashians, but if you want a proven conservative that will fight and win, then I’m your man.”
Mr. Cawthorn, however, has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, whose support of Republican J.D. Vance helped the political newcomer become the Republican nominee in Ohio’s U.S. Senate primary Tuesday night.
Mr. Cawthorn defended himself, calling the attacks against him from within the party “smears” and that his detractors are “RINOS” (Republican In Name Only), who are “sellouts” and that those in the Washington “swamp” “hate him” for what he stands for.
The negative news is taking a toll on Mr. Cawthorn’s image among voters in the 11th Congressional District in Western North Carolina ahead of the May 17 eight-person primary. Early in-person voting began on April 28.
According to a poll conducted between late March and April 25 of likely primary voters in the district by Raleigh-based Differentiators Data for GOPAC, a Republican state and local political 527 organization, Mr. Cawthorn’s percentage of support dropped in a month. In March he held a 64% favorable rating. In April, that dropped to 51%.
His unfavorable rating in March was 29% and that number shot up to 44% in April. Additionally, his job approval rating slid 12 percentage points over 30 days, while disapproval of his job performance in that same period climbed 12 percentage points.
Finally, Mr. Cawthorn lost 15% support in a month from voters who said they would reelect him in the primary.
Mr. Cawthorn did not respond to a request for comment.
In the meantime, Mr. Edwards support rose from 14% to 21% between March and April, and Mr. Cawthorn has burned through his campaign war chest.
According to federal records, Mr. Cawthorn raised almost $3.5 million but had more than $240,000 cash on hand since the last filing. Mr. Edwards, Republican Bruce O’Connell and a Democratic opponent have all surpassed Mr. Cawthorn with the amount of money they have in the bank.
The March GOPAC poll surveyed 500 likely GOP primary voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5%, while the April poll used 400 likely GOP primary voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%.
Correction: A previous version of this article cited the wrong launch year of the Grow NC Strong PAC. The PAC launched in 2013.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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