Madison Cawthorn, a Republican from North Carolina, has been charged with driving under a suspended license. She could spend up to 20 days in prison.
Cawthorn was stopped mid-morning March 3 when Trooper Tyler Gantt saw the Toyota 2019 truck being driven by Cawthorn, 26 years old.
On Wednesday, North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Marcus Bethea stated that “During the course o the investigation it was determined the driver’s license was in a condition of revocation” and that he was then charged with driving while his license was revoked.
Driving with a suspended license in North Carolina is a Class 3 Misdemeanor, which can lead to a 20-day sentence. Most infractions can result in a $200 fine and/or probation. However, Cawthorn still has several motor vehicle violations pending. Two speeding citations were issued for incidents on Oct. 18th and Jan. 8th. Court dates have been set. Cawthorn has a lead foot, having used a wheelchair since he was seriously injured in an auto accident in 2014. The congressman was also cited for driving without a valid license in 2017 but that charge was dropped.
Cawthorn is faring better at politics than he is driving. Cawthorne was elected first to Congress in 2020 and quickly became a favorite conservative. Six other candidates have announced their candidacy for the GOP primary. However, Cawthorne emerged as the favorite runaway in a ballot poll with 61.7% support. North Carolina Republicans gave him an approval rating of just a fraction under 80%.
Luke Ball, the spokesperson for Cawthorn, told the Citizen-Times that traffic issues are expected to be resolved quickly by his office and that he remains focused on serving the NC-11 constituents.
Cawthorn made a statement just before Christmas that his eight-month-old wife, Cristina, was divorcing. This personal turmoil, combined with the campaign pressures and recent recklessness behind a wheel, could lead one to conclude that it might be a good moment to pray for Rep. Cawthorn’s family.
