Madison Cawthorn
Robbinsville – It’s a crowded field in the N.C.-11 Republican primary led by incumbent U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, but a regional political action committee is putting its support behind one of Cawthorn’s seven opponents.
The American Muckrakers PAC (also known as FireMadison.com) is a western North Carolina-based organization formed by local citizens to focus on helping all Western North Carolinians by opposing the re-election of Cawthorn.
“Our support comes from thousands of concerned citizens, including Republicans, Unaffiliated/Independents, and Democrats from North Carolina and the United States,” the group said in a news release. “Today, we are announcing a plan to encourage voters in the newly drawn 11th Congressional District of North Carolina to support Wendy Nevarez for Congress in the May 17, 2022, Republican primary election.”
The PAC said it has extensively evaluated all the Republican candidates and concluded that Nevarez “is clearly the best candidate to beat Madison Cawthorn. We support her 100 percent in the primary.”
According to ballotpedia.com, Nevarez was born in Gastonia and served in the U.S. Navy from 2001-12. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Asheville in 2016. She earned a graduate degree from Western Carolina University in 2020. Her career experience includes working as a social security administration. Nevarez also has experience working as a paralegal and accountant. She is affiliated with the Girl Scouts of America, American Legion, Vietnam Veterans Association, State Sheriffs Association, and the Special Olympics.
President of the American Muckrakers PAC, David B. Wheeler, adds that Nevarez is a wife and mother of four, as well as a descendant of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
“Our team evaluated all the candidates and she is the most qualified candidate in the Republican primary for Congress,” he said. “Her leadership and background stand in sharp contrast to the dubious record of the do-nothing Congressman Madison Cawthorn. The people of Western North Carolina deserve a Member of Congress who will fight in Washington to bring their hard earned tax dollars back home, and who will care for all constituents, regardless of party, when they need help obtaining their hard earned benefits.
“Wendy Navarez has shown she will do the work for our district and get things done in Congress without all the drama of our
current Congressman. If Wendy wins, we will all win. I’m a lifelong Democrat. Madison Cawthorn is a clear and present danger to our nation whose re-election must be fought every step of the way. For that reason, I am changing my registration today to unaffiliated, temporarily, so that I can cast my vote for Wendy Nevarez in the May 17 Republican Primary.
“… Above all else, Madison Cawthorn must be defeated,” he said.
American Muckrakers PAC will be releasing radio ads, newspaper ads and an online campaign to encourage targeted voters to support Nevarez and for Democrats to temporarily change their registration to unaffiliated in order to vote for her. Changes of party affiliation must be completed by April 22.
Meanwhile, Cawthorn announced that he will participate in two GOP primary debates ahead of the May 17 republican primary election – the Henderson County Republican debate held Saturday and in the NC-11 GOP forum on Saturday.
“NC-11 deserves a strong candidate who will fight for the values of Western North Carolina in the Washington swamp,” Cawthorn said in a news release. “I am excited to present myself as the best candidate to represent the Republican party in the 2022 general election. No one is entitled to a congressional seat, and I welcome this opportunity for voters to hear my vision for how I plan to represent NC-11 during a second term in the U.S. House.”