Former House Republican Madison Cawthorn announced on Wednesday that he will run for Congress again, this time for the seat currently held by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who is running for Florida governor next year.
Cawthorn filed to run for Congress nearly a month after he was arrested after failing to appear in court for an outstanding traffic violation related to his suspended driver’s license. He was released within an hour on a $2,000 bond after being taken into custody on Sept. 10.
Previously representing North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, the scandal-ridden congressman will now run for Florida’s 19th Congressional District while Donalds proceeds with his 2026 gubernatorial bid endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Cawthorn said the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk inspired him to return to Congress.
“After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I knew that there was really no option. I’ve decided to run for Congress again,” he told Fox News. “I want to make sure [the people of Florida] have amazing representation in Washington, D.C., because I know exactly what happens in the swamp.”
“There’s so many people that take advantage of freshman [members],” he added. “And I think that I’m the right man for the job.”
During his single term, Cawthorn was mired in various controversies within weeks of one another. In March 2022, he said he was invited to an orgy by members of Congress and alleged some lawmakers were snorting cocaine. He later admitted the allegations were untrue and “exaggerated.”
Cawthorn pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous weapon at Charlotte Douglas International Airport after a handgun was found in his carry-on bag in April 2022. Most of the other charges were related to various traffic violations.
In May that year, Cawthorn received further backlash when a video showed him naked in bed with another person. He called the video “blackmail” and said he was merely “being crass with a friend.”
After losing reelection in November 2022, he moved to Cape Coral, Florida. Years later, Cawthorn is hoping to make a political comeback.
FORMER NORTH CAROLINA REPRESENTATIVE ARRESTED FOR FAILURE TO APPEAR IN COURT
“I know what it means to be underestimated, and I know what it takes to fight back,” he said in his announcement video. “That same spirit is what I’ll carry to Washington.”
Cawthorn will be facing off against five Republican candidates in the Florida House race, while Donalds is looking to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) once his term is up. DeSantis’s wife, Casey, is seen as a likely candidate to enter the gubernatorial race.
