Even if Madison Cawthorn pulls off a victory tonight, he won’t be welcomed back with open arms by his GOP colleagues on Capitol Hill, according to multiple Republican lawmakers.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who has worked actively to defeat Cawthorn in the primary, said he’s heard discussions among his colleagues about banning Cawthorn from joining certain caucuses in the House and to deny him key committee assignments. A House Republican familiar with the matter confirmed these discussions.
“Certainly if this pattern of behavior doesn’t end, I think that there could be consequences over there,” Tillis told CNN.
“But I hope that if he were to win, I hope he views this as a very valuable education on what we expect in terms of respect for your colleagues at either end of the spectrum, and a focus on legislative outcomes. Less, you know, less attention seeking, more results producing,” Tillis added.
The litany of complaints — from his comments about being invited to cocaine and orgy parties to crass videos from his past and calling Ukrainian President Zelensky a “thug” — have made Cawthorn a pariah among his colleagues.
Sen. Richard Burr, who has called Cawthorn an “embarrassment on any day that ends in y,” was equally as blunt, saying: “I doubt it,” when asked if congressional Republicans would embrace him if he wins.
Source: www.cnn.com