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2h ago

Madison Cawthorn Files to Run in Florida’s 19th, Launching MAGA Comeback Bid

The ex-North Carolina lawmaker is seeking Byron Donalds’s open seat in a safely Republican district after saying Charlie Kirk’s assassination pushed him to run.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 01: An aerial view of single family homes on August 01, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Home sales have fallen across South Florida as high interest rates and other factors have weighed on the market. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
FILE - Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., speaks before former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally on April 9, 2022, in Selma, N.C.(AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 01: Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) arrives for the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on March 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. During his first State of the Union address, President Joe Biden will speak on his administration’s efforts to lead a global response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, work to curb inflation, and bring the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)
FILE - Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) attends a campaign rally for then-former President Donald Trump at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on July 9, 2024, in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Cawthorn, 30, filed FEC paperwork and announced his campaign Wednesday, telling Fox News the killing of activist Charlie Kirk convinced him to return to Congress.
  • The open southwest Florida seat covers Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral and Marco Island, and the GOP primary is expected to effectively decide the winner.
  • He previously served one term representing North Carolina’s 11th District before losing the 2022 Republican primary to Chuck Edwards.
  • His record features ethics and legal controversies, and he was arrested in September in Florida for failing to appear in court over a driving-without-a-valid-license citation.
  • He enters a crowded Republican field that includes Jim Oberweis, Marine aviator Mike Pedersen and broadcaster Jim Schwartzel, with former Rep. Chris Collins also signaling a bid; Democrat Howard Sapp is running as well.