What is Madison Cawthorn's Net Worth and Salary?
Madison Cawthorn is a conservative American politician with a net worth of $200,000. He is best known for serving one term as a U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, becoming the third-youngest member of the House of Representatives in U.S. history. Cawthorn lost a re-election primary bid in May 2022.
Early Life
Born on August 1, 1995, in Asheville, North Carolina, Madison Cawthorn was homeschooled in Hendersonville. He played football with the Asheville Saints, a team that allowed homeschooled students, and worked at Chick-fil-A as a teenager. In 2014, at the age of 18, Cawthorn was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident in Florida. He received a settlement from the insurance company following the accident.
Before the accident, U.S. Representative Mark Meadows nominated Cawthorn to the United States Naval Academy, but his application was rejected. Cawthorn later admitted during a 2017 deposition that he had falsely claimed the accident derailed his plans to attend the Naval Academy. In 2016, Cawthorn attended Patrick Henry College to study political science but struggled academically, attributing his difficulties to the after-effects of the accident. He worked as a staff assistant in Representative Mark Meadows' office during this time.
Career
Madison Cawthorn's interest in politics grew in the late 2010s. Identifying as a constitutional conservative, he opposes abortion, supports legal gun ownership, and is fiscally conservative while considering the effects of climate change to be minimal. In the March 2020 Republican primary for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, Cawthorn finished second behind Lynda Bennett. However, Bennett did not secure enough votes to avoid a runoff. Cawthorn won the June runoff and subsequently defeated the Democratic nominee, Moe Davis, in November 2020, becoming the youngest Republican elected to the House of Representatives.
Cawthorn attracted controversy for his actions and remarks. He circulated conspiracy theories about child trafficking along the Texas border and about alleged electoral fraud in the 2020 election. He also made divisive statements about journalist Tom Fielder and spread unsubstantiated claims about political corruption and perversion in Washington. These controversies continued into his tenure in the House, including statements on gender issues, gun rights, and foreign policy. He focused more on communication than legislation, viewing himself as a messenger of the people. In the 2022 primaries, he lost the nomination to state senator Chuck Edwards.
(Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
Personal Life
Madison Cawthorn married Cristina Bayardelle, a competitive CrossFit athlete, in December 2020 in a civil ceremony, followed by an outdoor ceremony in April 2021. However, in December 2021, Cawthorn announced their divorce.
While campaigning for Congress in 2020, Cawthorn faced several accusations of sexual misconduct. A group of Patrick Henry College alumni publicly accused him of sexually predatory behavior during his time as a student, allegations which Cawthorn denied. In February 2021, BuzzFeed News reported that 20 individuals corroborated stories of Cawthorn's harassment of female classmates at college. In May 2022, a video surfaced showing Cawthorn making inappropriate gestures, which he claimed was an attempt to blackmail him.
Cawthorn has also faced legal issues, including being charged with driving without a license and being found twice with a gun at an airport.
