After Rep. Madison Cawthorn narrowly lost in a primary on Tuesday night, the North Carolina Republican seemed to take the news pretty well. He conceded defeat quite quickly and published a tweet congratulating his GOP rival. It seemed as if the controversial congressman was planning to wrap up his career without burning any bridges.
Cawthorn did not, however, stick to the high road for long. Politico reported:
Rep. Madison Cawthorn may not have won his primary race, but he isn’t going to leave the political scene quietly. In a Thursday Instagram post, the outgoing 26-year-old congressman previewed his plans after this Congress session concludes in January, with the North Carolina Republican suggesting he’s prepared to target the GOP establishment.
Cawthorn’s missive sounded a bitter note, complaining about “the Uni-party” that defeated him, and whining about the limited number of people who had his back.
But more interesting was the congressman’s not-so-subtle threats, which appeared to be directed at his fellow Republicans.
“I am on a mission now to expose those who say and promise one thing yet legislate and work towards another, self-profiteering, globalist goal,” Cawthorn wrote. “The time for genteel politics as usual has come to an end. It’s time for the rise of the new right, it’s time for Dark MAGA to truly take command. We have an enemy to defeat, but we will never be able to defeat them until we defeat the cowardly and weak members of our own party. Their days are numbered. We are coming.”
It would appear that the North Carolinian isn’t just focused on post-Congress employment, he’s also focused on vengeance.
At this point, it’s difficult to say which “cowardly and weak” Republicans he intends to target as part of his new “mission.” That said, Sen. Thom Tillis, a fellow North Carolinian, made little effort to hide his disapproval of Cawthorn, and the Republican senator publicly supported Cawthorn’s primary challenger. Just as importantly, though, it’s not at all clear how Cawthorn would go after his intra-party opponents, though his purported efforts might offer a possible wrinkle to the GOP’s election-year plans. Finally, of course, there’s the issue of “Dark MAGA,” whatever that means. Politico’s report added, “If you’re confused what Dark MAGA means, you aren’t alone. The simple answer is it seems to be an ‘edgier’ version of the Trump-supporting MAGA-verse.” Those who think Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” message has been little more than puppies and rainbows should apparently prepare for a new iteration that’s angry and dreary.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
Latest Post
Recommended
