Madison Cawthorn, once one of Congress’s youngest and most controversial members, is plotting a dramatic return to Washington—this time from a new home state. On October 1, 2025, the 30-year-old former North Carolina representative announced he’s running for Florida’s 19th Congressional District, a reliably Republican seat currently held by Rep. Byron Donalds. Donalds, who revealed in February his intention to run for governor rather than seek re-election, leaves behind a crowded field and a district that has become a magnet for ambitious conservatives.
Cawthorn’s campaign launch, delivered via an online video and a string of social media posts, was anything but subdued. He cited the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as the catalyst for his decision, declaring, “Once Charlie was assassinated this became no decision at all. There is only one course of action for those of us who want to live in a free, prosperous, and safe land to do: Be extremely shrewd, fearless in the face of backlash and resistance, and to stand up and fight for our country.” According to Fox News, Cawthorn said he’d been “juggling” the idea since Donalds’s announcement, but Kirk’s death made up his mind.
The former congressman, who moved to Cape Coral, Florida, in January 2023 after purchasing a $1.1 million home, is now seeking to represent the district encompassing much of southwest Florida. As noted by the Orlando Sentinel, Cawthorn has wasted no time aligning himself with former President Donald Trump’s agenda, emphasizing immigration restrictions, gun rights, and opposition to what he calls “woke ideology.” On his campaign website, he proclaims, “Madison Cawthorn knows the system is rigged against hard-working families. Washington insiders cut deals while Floridians pay the price. That’s why he’s running for Congress: to defend the America First agenda, hold bureaucrats accountable, and put Floridians first.”
Cawthorn’s political career has been a whirlwind of rapid ascents and equally swift downfalls. At just 25, he won North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2020, defeating a Trump-backed candidate in the Republican primary and riding a wave of conservative enthusiasm to Capitol Hill. Within days of taking office, he spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, quickly establishing himself as a firebrand in Trump’s mold.
But Cawthorn’s time in Washington was marred by controversy. He became a lightning rod for criticism—sometimes from his own party—after making sensational claims on the “Warrior Poet Society” podcast in 2022 that he’d been invited to a “sexual get-together” at a member of Congress’s home and had witnessed lawmakers using cocaine. After a meeting with then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Cawthorn admitted the claims were exaggerated. As USA TODAY reported, McCarthy told reporters, “This is unacceptable. There is no evidence to this.”
Beyond these headline-grabbing allegations, Cawthorn faced a series of legal troubles during and after his congressional tenure. He was cited twice for bringing guns through airport security checkpoints—once in Charlotte and once in Asheville—though he was only charged in the first incident. He was also charged with driving with a revoked license in both 2017 and 2022. Most recently, on September 10, 2025, Cawthorn was arrested in Lee County, Florida, on a bench warrant for failing to appear at a court hearing related to an August 19 citation for driving without a valid license. He chalked up the missed court date to a “mixup,” according to Fox News.
His driving record took another hit in April 2024, when he rear-ended a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser near Mile Marker 60 on Interstate 75. The trooper suffered minor injuries, and Cawthorn was cited for violating Florida’s Move Over Law. Court records show he was convicted of the offense in May and ordered to complete a 12-hour defensive driving course by July 10, 2024.
Cawthorn’s personal life, too, has been the subject of public scrutiny. Born August 1, 1995, in Buncombe County, North Carolina, he was homeschooled before attending Patrick Henry College in Virginia for one semester in 2016. His life changed dramatically at age 18 when a car crash left him partially paralyzed and wheelchair-bound—a story he’s recounted often on the campaign trail. He married Cristina Bayardelle, an anesthesiologist assistant and CrossFit athlete, in December 2020, but the couple divorced less than a year later, citing the strains of political life. “Our marriage, like every marriage, has had its difficulties. The lifestyle shift into public life has been strenuous, and many aspects of the transition have been unexpected,” Bayardelle told the Daily Mail.
Allegations of sexual harassment have also dogged Cawthorn since his time at Patrick Henry College, with several former classmates accusing him of inappropriate behavior. Cawthorn has denied these accusations, with a spokesperson telling the Daily Caller that he had “no recollection of the anonymous accusation and denies being forceful in the other two circumstances.”
Despite these controversies, Cawthorn’s political ambitions have not waned. After his 2022 primary defeat to North Carolina state Senator Chuck Edwards—despite a last-minute endorsement from Donald Trump, who called Cawthorn’s missteps “foolish mistakes”—he declared, “It’s time for Dark MAGA to truly take command.” Now, with the Florida seat up for grabs, he’s hoping to leverage his national profile and Trump-aligned platform for a second act in Congress.
He won’t have the field to himself. According to Ballotpedia and the Associated Press, at least six other Republicans are expected to run in the 2026 primary, including former U.S. Rep. Chris Collins of New York, former Illinois state Senator Jim Oberweis, Marine aviator Mike Pedersen, and Sun Broadcasting President Jim Schwartzel. The only Democrat in the race so far is Howard Sapp, a community organizer who has previously run unsuccessfully for the state legislature.
Cawthorn’s campaign rhetoric remains combative. In his launch video, he said, “I’m running for Congress to stand with President Trump, defend our conservative values, and fight to stop the radical left every single time.” He’s also claimed he was “railroaded out of Washington, DC, by the radical left” and by members of his own party for “telling the truth.”
As the 2026 race for Florida’s 19th District heats up, Cawthorn’s candidacy promises to keep the spotlight on a district already accustomed to high-profile political drama. Whether voters embrace his comeback—or are wary of the baggage he brings—remains to be seen. For now, Cawthorn is betting that his brand of unapologetic conservatism and his willingness to take on both political opponents and the media will resonate in his adopted home state.
With a crowded field and a history that’s anything but dull, the race for Florida’s 19th Congressional District is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched contests in the Sunshine State.
