Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Salon
Salon
Politics
Brett Bachman

Cawthorn seeks divorce after 8 months

GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn Getty Images

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., is getting divorced after just eight months of marriage.

The Congressman made the announcement on Twitter Wednesday evening, writing in a statement that he and his wife, Cristina Cawthorn, "realized that balance was not attainable, and that we had irreconcilable differences between us."

Rep. Cawthorn, 26, was one of the youngest legislators ever elected when he won his race last year. He and his wife tied the knot in April, with the first-term lawmaker saying at the time that it was the "greatest honor, privilege and adventure" of his life.


Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.


But the life of a Congressman was apparently much more difficult than the pair expected.

"When my wife Christina and I were engaged, I was not a member of Congress," Cawthorn said in the statement Wednesday. "I felt called to serve and we both agreed that I should run. Our victory was unprecedented. But overnight, our lives changed."

"That change has been both hectic and difficult. It's neither the pace nor the lifestyle we had planned for."

Rep. Cawthorn has a long history of advocating for strict gender norms and traditional family structures — and his divorce announcement comes just days after Rep. Cawthorn advised a conference of young conservatives to drop out of school and marry young. 

More stories like this:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.