Former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn is looking to make a political comeback — this time in Florida.
Cawthorn, 30, announced Wednesday in an online video that he will run for the U.S. House seat in southwest Florida currently held by Republican Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.
Cawthorn moved to the Fort Myers area after losing his 2022 GOP primary in western North Carolina to now-Congressman Chuck Edwards.
The Florida district Cawthorn is interested in seeking is heavily Republican. Other Republicans signaling campaigns reportedly include former Rep. Chris Collins of New York, former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, Marine aviator Mike Pedersen and Sun Broadcasting president Jim Schwartzel. The lone Democrat so far is community organizer Howard Sapp.
Cawthorn was first elected in 2020 at age 25. He served one term before losing reelection amid a series of controversies, including speeding and gun violations.
His outspokenness on some topics — like calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "thug," and saying he had been invited to an orgy and watched government leaders use cocaine — also drew criticism from some fellow Republicans. They included North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who endorsed Cawthorn's opponent in the 2022 primary.
