Former GOP Congressman Launches Comeback Bid

Former North Carolina Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn announced on Wednesday that he’s running for Congress in Florida.

Cawthorn will be running for Florida’s 19th congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.

“I’ve never backed down from a fight, and I won’t start now. I’ll stand with President Trump, crush the woke Left, deport illegals, and help fix Florida’s broken insurance system,” Cawthorn wrote.

Watch his campaign launch video below:

I’ve never backed down from a fight, and I won’t start now. I’ll stand with President Trump, crush the woke Left, deport illegals, and help fix Florida’s broken insurance system.

Join me today at https://t.co/8ZAy8nrXT9 pic.twitter.com/mi2onxJtYm

— Madison Cawthorn (@realcawthorn) October 1, 2025

POLITICO shared more:

Cawthorn, who represented North Carolina’s 11th congressional district from 2021-2023, was defeated by Rep. Chuck Edwards in the 2022 GOP primary after a term plagued by a litany of high-profile scandals. He has been registered to vote in Florida since 2023, according to state voter rolls.

Cawthorn also repeatedly maligned his Republican colleagues in Congress, alleging without evidence that some had invited him to cocaine-fueled sex parties. He was also the subject of a leaked video and sexual misconduct and insider trading allegations, and repeatedly brought a handgun to an airport.

“After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I knew that there was really no option. I’ve decided to run for Congress again,” Cawthorn told Fox News Digital.

“I want to make sure [the people of Florida] have amazing representation in Washington, D.C., because I know exactly what happens in the swamp,” he added.

“I fully and wholeheartedly endorse my friend Madison Cawthorn. I will be maxing out to his campaign and I hope you’ll support him too,” conservative activist Robby Starbuck commented.

I fully and wholeheartedly endorse my friend Madison Cawthorn. I will be maxing out to his campaign and I hope you’ll support him too. https://t.co/eABfZQCxYZ

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) October 1, 2025

Fox News provided further info:

As for the scandals and legal trouble Cawthorn faced during his term, he told Fox News Digital he got “railroaded out of Washington, D.C., by the radical left and members of [his] own party” for telling “the truth” about the city.

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“You can start looking at things that happened months after I left, and I think it proves the things I was talking about,” Cawthorn told Fox. “There’s a lot of people in Washington, D.C., who enjoy just having talking points” that members have used for “decades and decades.”

Cawthorn was also recently arrested in Florida early last month for failing to appear in court for a traffic citation. The newly announced congressional candidate said it was simply a “mixup about court timings” and that he and his legal team “fully expect this case is going to go in a positive direction.”

“It was a simple mistake, whether through scheduling or a mishap in changing schedules,” Cawthorn added.

Despite scandals and accusations, the young former congressman now candidate, told Fox “it’s about time we have a legislative branch that’s willing to fight.”