Self-proclaimed Christian and constitutional conservative, Madison

Cawthorn won the Republican primary for North Carolina’s 11th

congressional district in June, and has been accused by several

women of sexually aggressive behavior, sexual misconduct, and

sexual assault. In response to one of these allegations, Cawthorn

responded, “I did try and kiss her just very normal, just in a flirtatious way.”

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Cawthorn has also come under fire for using the name “SPQR Holdings, LLC”

for his real estate investment company.  SPQR is derived from the Latin initials for ‘the Senate and People of Rome,’ and the term has been embraced by white nationalists in the United States.

 

While Cawthorn attended Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia in 2016, he dropped out after a single semester and earned mostly Ds.  He never continued his education from that point forward.

 

He also came under fire for Instagram posts that show him in 2017 visiting Adolf Hitler's vacation house in Germany known as the "Eagle's Nest." The caption refers to Hitler as "the Fuhrer" and says that a visit to the site -- a popular tourist destination documenting the horrors of the Nazi regime -- had been on his "bucket list for awhile" and "did not disappoint" leading many to wonder about his odd fascination with Hitler and the nazi regime. 

 

According to the candidate’s website “Madison was home-schooled in Hendersonville and was nominated to the Naval Academy by Rep. Mark Meadows in 2014. [but his plans] plans were derailed that year after he nearly died in a tragic automobile accident that left him partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair”  However, in a 2017 sworn deposition obtained by AVL Watchdog, Cawthorn admits to his rejection from the academy prior to a car accident that left him partially paralyzed. In October 2020, investigative reporting revealed that he lied again when he said he worked full time on the staff of ex-Rep. Mark Meadows.