Former one-term North Carolina Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn officially announced his candidacy for Florida’s 19th congressional district on Wednesday.
In his announcement video, Cawthorn, 30, asserted that Florida is “the heart of the [Make America Great Again] movement.” He added that he is running for Congress “to stand with President [Donald] Trump.”
“This community is my home,” Cawthorn said in his announcement video. “I know what it means to be underestimated, and I know what it takes to fight back. That same spirit is what I’ll carry to Washington.”
Cawthorn also vowed to “defend the America First agenda, hold bureaucrats accountable, and put Floridians first,” according to a statement on his campaign website.
“Southwest Florida is the heart of the MAGA movement. When Hurricane Ian devastated Cape Coral, I stood shoulder to shoulder with my neighbors helping families, delivering supplies, and rebuilding together,” Cawthorn said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is my home, and I know what it takes to fight back. That same spirit is what I’ll take to Washington. I know what it takes to win tough fights. I will never back down from defending Florida, our families, and our future.”
“I’m launching my campaign today to be a conservative fighter for Faith, Family, Freedom, and Florida,” the former congressman added.
The announcement comes after Axios reported on Sept. 3 that Cawthorn was preparing to launch a new congressional bid. The deep red 19th district, which includes the cities of Fort Myers and Naples, is open after Republican Rep. Byron Donalds announced in February that he is running for Governor of Florida instead of seeking reelection in 2026.
Cawthorn, who represented North Carolina’s 11th congressional district from 2021 to 2023, lost his reelection bid in the state’s 2022 Republican primary to current North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards, after facing a spate of scandals.
Elected in 2020 at the age of 25, Cawthorn was the youngest member of Congress during his two-year tenure, and the first member of either house to be born in the 1990s.
Cawthorn announced he had moved to Florida in January 2023, shortly after his sole congressional term had ended.
The former lawmaker notably claimed during an interview in March 2022 that some of his colleagues in Congress invited him to an orgy and also used cocaine in front of him, which sparked backlash among other Republicans. Cawthorn later conceded that some of his claims were “exaggerated” during a meeting with then-Republican California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Axios reported in March 2022.
Additionally, Cawthorn was accused of tailgating a woman and rear-ending a Florida Highway Patrol officer in Collier County in April 2024, the New York Post reported. Moreover, Cawthorn was arrested in Florida last month on an out-of-county warrant for failing to show up in court over an Aug. 19 citation for driving without a valid license.
The former congressman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the Sept. 10 assassination of Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk was a key factor in him deciding to attempt a political comeback.
“After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I knew that there was really no option. I’ve decided to run for Congress again,” Cawthorn told the outlet. “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.”
The ex-lawmaker faces a crowded GOP primary in his bid to return to Congress. The field is notably set to include two other individuals who had also previously held office in other states: former Republican New York Rep. Chris Collins — who had resigned in 2019 following an insider trading scandal — and former Illinois State Sen. Jim Oberweis, a perennial candidate.
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