RALEIGH, N.C. _ The Republican candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for Meadows' old congressional seat lost to her 24-year-old GOP runoff opponent Tuesday night.
Madison Cawthorn, a motivational speaker who was paralyzed from the waist down in a 2014 car accident, defeated the Lynda Bennett in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District in far-western North Carolina.
Cawthorn was leading with 66% of the vote with more than half of the precincts reporting. The Associated Press called the race at 8:47 p.m. EDT.
She will face Democrat Moe Davis in November's general election. If elected, Cawthorn, who turns 25 before the election, would be the youngest member in the House of Representatives.
Meadows announced his decision not to run for re-election in the district just days before the filing deadline. The late decision left some potential candidates _ who already had declared for state legislative seats _ without the opportunity to run for the suddenly vacant congressional seat.
Bennett quickly entered the race and was endorsed by Meadows.
Bennett, who owns a real estate company, won the first primary in March with 22% of the vote, edging out Cawthorn in a 12-way Republican race.
Trump tweeted two endorsements for Bennett this month.
Bennett "has my Complete & Total Endorsement. She is a great fighter & ally in North Carolina. Lynda is Strong on Crime, Borders, Military, our Great Vets & 2A. She will be a great help to me in DC. We need Lynda to help DRAIN THE SWAMP! VOTE EARLY!" Trump tweeted on June 16.
He tweeted a similar message on June 4.
Meadows had nominated Cawthorn to the U.S. Naval Academy before the car accident.
Cawthorn was endorsed by Rep. Mark Walker, who attended Cawthorn's election-night party in Hendersonville.
