In North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, Rep. Madison Cawthorn became a lame duck earlier this year when he lost a U.S. House primary to fellow Republican Chuck Edwards (who went on to defeat Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara in the general election). Cawthorn, a far-right MAGA conspiracy theorist, will not be part of the U.S. House of Representatives' new GOP-controlled majority when it is seated on January 3, 2023. And according to Asheville Citizen Times reporter Joel Burgess, Cawthorn is now missing in action.
Cawthorn, Burgess reports in an article published on November 16, "has apparently vacated his Washington and district offices nearly two months before the end of his term."
"On November 16, Cawthorn's Washington office no longer had his name posted outside and had been cleaned out," Burgess reports. "A call to the office reached a voicemail system inviting 11th District constituents to leave a message, saying a staff member would call them back. In Hendersonville, the district office with Cawthorn's name and the House seal on the door and window was dark and locked. Rooms were empty of furniture, and cleaning products could be seen on a counter."
The Citizen Times reporter adds, "Calls to the Hendersonville and other district offices reached voicemail or were disconnected. A message on the voicemail said the congressman was no longer accepting new requests for assistance 'due to our office beginning to close for the term.'"
Burgess notes that Cawthorn "recently bought a $1.1 million house in Florida" but is, according to state records, "still registered to vote" in North Carolina.
Burgess also reports that Blake Harp, a Cawthorn spokesperson, "did not respond to November 16 questions, including where constituents should go for assistance with veterans' benefits, Social Security, late tax refunds or other issues."
Like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Cawthorn is part of what has been described as the "House MAGA Caucus" — far-right Republicans who are loyal to former President Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda, traffic in conspiracy theories and are known for being combative and abrasive with both Democrats and non-MAGA Republicans. But unlike Greene, Boebert or Gaetz, Cawthorn did not make it to the general election in 2022.
