Democrats Hold the Majority on North Carolina Elections Board, Meaning Madison Cawthorn Faces a High Chance of Losing Office

     Of the "Sedition Caucus" of far-right representatives who participated in the insurrection on January 6th, they're all dangerous. Representative Scott Fitzgerald organized Wisconsin's fake elector plot; Lauren Boebert is a gun fanatic who makes hateful remarks about every group of people possible; Marjorie Taylor Greene threatened high-level Democrats; Andrew Clyde called the insurrection a "normal tourist visit" even after being photographed screaming in terror at the events of the day; Jim Jordan, the Larry Nassar-type assistant wrestling coach, spoke with Donald Trump at length the day of the insurrection; Mo Brooks spoke at the Ellipse immediately before the violence broke out; Paul Gosar was censured for a video depicting graphic violence against President Biden and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez; Matt Gaetz is a child sex trafficker; etc.

     However, Madison Cawthorn is arguably the most dangerous. The youngest of the group, this North Carolina representative, the one who started the insurrection and brought pizza to Capitol police to try to make up for it, the one who claimed Democrats want to destroy the nuclear family but couldn't make a marriage last eight months, the one who will likely never have kids because he is dead from the waist down, and the one who brought a knife to a school board meeting, also spoke before the January 6th insurrection. He has repeatedly called for bloodshed and encouraged political violence, offering acquitted murderer Kyle Rittenhouse a job on Capitol Hill. 

     There is also hope, however. The 14th amendment bars those who have participated in insurrection against the United States or who have provided aid and comfort to those who did from holding office. Whether or not he is criminally liable for the insurrection has yet to be determined, but what's certain is that he provided aid and comfort to the insurrectionists: this alone is enough to bar him from holding office. Why is voting in gubernatorial races so important, even in conservative-majority states like North Carolina? One reason has made itself plain this week. 

     The North Carolina State Board of Elections determines who is eligible to run for office and who is not under the state AND federal constitution. Madison Cawthorn violated the 14th amendment with his actions before, during, and after the January 6th insurrection. It may take months to make a determination, but this would honestly be better, leaving less time for legal challenges and less time to pick a potential substitute candidate. To those who say this is proof a legal challenge launched by citizens to Cawthorn's eligibility is politically motivated, I offer this: with its censure of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and its proclamation of the riots as "legitimate political discourse," the RNC has given politicians a choice, to accept political violence or leave the Republican Party. The RNC has brought this on themselves, and that includes Madison Cawthorn. This is about political violence, and it just happens that Madison Cawthorn is among the politicians on the right committing political violence, and these acts are, statistically speaking, almost all committed by the right.

     North Carolina's governor is Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and his appointments ensured the board is composed of three Democrats and two Republicans. (Under state law, like many of the agencies in the federal government, one party is only allowed to have a simple majority on the board.) This means that every single vote is important. The vote could be party-line, one Democrat could ditch democracy and join with the GOP in letting Cawthorn run again, or one Republican could demonstrate courage and join Democrats. However, given that Democrats hold a majority on the NCSBE, it is more likely than not that this suit could bar him from running from office in the state of North Carolina, which would be a huge win for American democracy. Now is the time to ramp up pressure to make this happen!