May 18, 2022, 5:26 p.m. ETMay 18, 2022, 5:26 p.m. ET
Jazmine Ulloa
Representative Madison Cawthorn at his election night watch party in Hendersonville, N.C., on Tuesday.
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — In his campaign headquarters the morning after his electoral victory, Chuck Edwards showed no interest in dissecting one of the biggest political upsets so far in this year’s Republican primary season.
Mr. Edwards, 61, a three-term state senator and business owner, thwarted Representative Madison Cawthorn’s turbulent re-election bid in North Carolina, beating him in Tuesday’s primary in a rare defeat of a Trump-backed Republican incumbent.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to unify the Republican Party, put the primary behind us and focus our attention towards the real issues,” Mr. Edwards said on Wednesday, seated at a sleek mahogany conference table at his campaign office in downtown Hendersonville.
What went unspoken was that many voters saw him as the establishment candidate who benefited from the boost of old-guard Republicans at home and in Washington. Mr. Cawthorn, 26, had alienated two powerful Republicans with a litany of political and personal errors and scandals: Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
A political group supporting Mr. Tillis, who endorsed Mr. Edwards, poured money into an ad campaign that painted Mr. Cawthorn as a fame-seeking liar. Other top North Carolina Republicans, including the state’s House speaker and State Senate leaders, also came to Mr. Edwards’s side.
ImageState Senator Chuck Edwards spoke during a candidate debate in Asheville, N.C., last month.Credit…Angela Wilhelm/The Asheville Citizen-Times, via Associated Press
In most Republican primaries across the country, old-fashioned establishment candidates in the Romney and Bush mold have been on the run amid intraparty battles and challenges from a far-right wing energized by former President Donald J. Trump. But as Mr. Edwards’s low-key postelection demeanor suggested, the state’s establishment seemed unwilling to claim victory when the word establishment itself has become an insult in Republican politics.
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- Up Next: Closely watched races in Georgia and Alabama on May 24 will offer a clearer picture of Mr. Trump’s influence.
Asked about those who saw him as the establishment figure in the race, Mr. Edwards said people had different definitions of the label.
“It is true I have established conservative principles and a track record of getting things done,” he said. “I’ve established that I can cut taxes. I’ve established that I can balance budgets. I’ve established that I can pass bills to outlaw sanctuary cities.”
Of course, Mr. Cawthorn’s defeat was not solely the work of the establishment. He appeared to struggle with two key demographics: unaffiliated voters, who make up more than 40 percent of his district, and those in Henderson County, which includes his hometown of Hendersonville and helped carry him to victory in the last Republican primary.
A barrage of bad press and personal and political mistakes helped turn voters against Mr. Cawthorn. Many said in interviews that they still supported Mr. Trump, but that they viewed Mr. Cawthorn as irresponsible, immature and unbecoming of public office. Mr. McCarthy, for his part, told reporters in March that he had spoken to Mr. Cawthorn after the freshman congressman had implied members of his own party invited him to orgies and to use cocaine with them.
Mr. Cawthorn had been accused of engaging in insider trading, was pulled over for speeding, charged with driving with a revoked license and had been stopped for trying to bring a gun through airport security a second time. Photos and videos of him partying and emulating sexual antics circulated. Most damaging were reports that he frequently missed votes and had abandoned constituency offices.
Mr. Edwards jumped into the race after Mr. Cawthorn announced last year that he would run in a new district near Charlotte. Mr. Cawthorn ended up changing his mind and returning to his old district after the new district was redrawn and tilted Democratic.
Mr. Edwards, who owns several McDonald’s franchises and has served in the state legislature since 2016, has built a staunch conservative brand to the right of what used to be considered the traditional establishment Republican. He has pushed measures to overhaul tax laws, enact a constitutional amendment for voter identification and require county sheriffs to work with immigration enforcement agencies.
In his campaign office Wednesday, days after a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, Mr. Edwards said he did not believe limiting gun ownership for law-abiding citizens would solve societal problems. And he declined to condemn the racist conspiracy theory that police say motivated the Buffalo gunman — and that has been echoed by members of his own party. That unfounded theory essentially holds that elites are using immigration and falling birthrates to replace white people and destroy white culture.
Understand the 2022 Midterm Elections
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Why are these midterms so important? This year’s races could tip the balance of power in Congress to Republicans, hobbling President Biden’s agenda for the second half of his term. They will also test former President Donald J. Trump’s role as a G.O.P. kingmaker. Here’s what to know:
What are the midterm elections? Midterms take place two years after a presidential election, at the midpoint of a presidential term — hence the name. This year, a lot of seats are up for grabs, including all 435 House seats, 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 of 50 governorships.
What do the midterms mean for Biden? With slim majorities in Congress, Democrats have struggled to pass Mr. Biden’s agenda. Republican control of the House or Senate would make the president’s legislative goals a near-impossibility.
What are the races to watch? Only a handful of seats will determine if Democrats maintain control of the House over Republicans, and a single state could shift power in the 50-50 Senate. Here are 10 races to watch in the House and Senate, as well as several key governor’s contests.
When are the key races taking place? The primary gauntlet is already underway. Closely watched races in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia will be held in May, with more taking place through the summer. Primaries run until September before the general election on Nov. 8.
Go deeper. What is redistricting and how does it affect the midterm elections? How does polling work? How do you register to vote? We’ve got more answers to your pressing midterm questions here.
“I don’t focus on rhetoric, I focus on results,” Mr. Edwards said. “I condemn open borders and the fact that we’re losing the sanctity of our nation by not enforcing immigration laws at the border.”
On Tuesday night, at a shuttered mechanics shop in Hendersonville that was converted into an event space for Mr. Cawthorn’s election party, the mood had started upbeat as people mingled over snow cones and games of cornhole. Foldout tables were decked with small candy bowls and flower-vase centerpieces. There were party favors for guests: cupcakes, star-shaped sunglasses and beaded necklaces in red, white and blue. A face painter waited for children to stop by her stand.
But as night fell, the crowd grew larger and antsier. People wearily chatted around the foldout tables and compared results on their phones.
Mr. Cawthorn abruptly conceded the race to Mr. Edwards, shortly after praising Mr. Trump for his endorsement and expressing confidence that the final results would break in his favor to the cheers of supporters. Mr. Edwards said that when the two spoke that night, Mr. Cawthorn offered his full support.
Late Tuesday night on Twitter, Mr. Cawthorn congratulated Mr. Edwards on securing the Republican nomination. He wrote that it was time for Republicans in the district “to rally behind the Republican ticket to defeat the Democrats’ nominee this November.”
Mr. Cawthorn’s spokesman did not respond to a request for additional comment on Wednesday.
Outside Mr. Edwards’s campaign headquarters, people strolling a shop-lined street were unsurprised by his win. Milton Ready, a North Carolina historian who identified himself as an unaffiliated voter who leans Democratic, said he cast a ballot for Mr. Edwards because he seemed like an establishment Republican — but not one obsessed with publicity.
“And,” Mr. Ready added, “I don’t think anyone in the world worries about his sex life or how fast he drives.”
Source: nytimes.com
