North Carolina Elections Board May Ban Rep. Madison Cawthorn Over Jan. 6th

The North Carolina Board of Elections asserts it has the power to keep Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn from running for office in the event he assisted in the Jan. 6th insurrection. The board’s court filing is in response to the Representative’s lawsuit in response to an organization challenging his eligibility to seek reelection.

Cawthorn is one of the most far-right members of Congress. However, the organization Free Speech for People is raising funds to keep him off the 2022 North Carolina ballot since he broke his oath of office for his participation in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. The group’s lawyers assert the North Carolina representative violated The U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, Section 3:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that the events of Jan. 6th were not so-called “political discourse.” Instead, he declared it was a “violent insurrection. While the minority leader’s comments were in response to the RNC censuring Republican members of the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the United States Capitol, McConnell’s declaration reflects a hopeful attitude change.

McConnell: Says Jan 6 not "legitimate political discourse" but rather a "violent insurrection". pic.twitter.com/DjcZLdqhhF

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 8, 2022

He filed a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s Election Board. Cawthorn asserts: “Running for office is not only a great privilege, it is a right protected under the Constitution. I love this country and have never engaged in, or would ever engage in, an insurrection against the United States.”

Courtesy of Gage Skidmore (Flickr CC0)

Moreover, Democrats are trying to force the board to choose who can and cannot run for office in North Carolina. The Disqualification clause and the state’s Challenge Clause are merely weapons the liberals are using to keep him from being reelected.

The board responded that while the state does not pass judgment on the qualifications of elected members. “It polices candidate qualifications prior to the elections.” Since he is running for election again, they could stop him from reelection.

North Carolina currently has seven declaring their intent to unseat Cawthorn’s reelection bid for District 13 U.S. House of Representatives; five are Republicans, and two are Democrats.

Written by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

Raw Story: NC State Board of Elections filing says it can disqualify Madison Cawthorn if he helped ‘insurrection;’ by Brad Reed
The Hill: North Carolina elections board says it has power to bar Cawthorn from running over Jan. 6; by Lexi Lonas
The Hill: Opponents seek to block Cawthorn from ballot for his actions on Jan. 6; by Cameron Jenkins
NPR: Post-Confederate law bars Jan. 6 speaker Rep. Cawthorn from office, challengers argue; Steve Harrison
AlterNet: Madison Cawthorn is having a very bad week; by David Badash
Ballotpedia: Madison Cawthorn

Images Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License