Trump's pick defeated in North Carolina GOP House primary

 A 24-year-old real estate investment CEO won Tuesday’s Republican primary ruff for a western rth Carolina congressional seat over President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for mination.

Mison Cawthorn defeated Lynda Bennett to complete an upset for GOP mination in 11th Congressional District. Bennett h received president’s backing on Twitter and earlier endorsement of Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meows, who until recently h held seat.

Cawthorn called for ruff after he finished second to Bennett in a 12-candidate primary in early March. Bennett h failed to get more than 30% of vote need to win outright. scheduled May ruff was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Cawthorn, who would reach constitutionally-mandated of 25 to serve in House in August, was paralyzed from abdomen down after a 2014 car accident. He’ll face Democrat Moe Davis, a former military prosecutor, and or party minees in vember. district is still considered Republican-leaning despite recent boundary changes following litigation.

Cawthorn won despite Bennett’s big endorsements — Sen. Ted Cruz also among m — and outside support from political arms of House Freedom Caucus that Meows once led.

Cawthorn, who also described himself as a strong Trump supporter, attempted to reframe Bennett’s endorsements, saying he wouldn’t be beholden to anyone in Washington if he reached Congress. But his campaign also got help from a super PAC that backs candidates allied with Sen. Rand Paul.

Meows anunced late during December’s candidate filing period he wouldn’t seek reelection, and endorsed Bennett, a Haywood County real estate company owner and friend of Meows’ wife.

With voters worried about pandemic’s spre, mail-in absentee ballots were popular in 17 mountain counties within 11th District leing up to ruff. Early in-person voting sites were open and election day precincts in several of district’s 17 counties were consolidated mostly to dress social distancing challenges. Poll workers wore face masks and provided voters single-use pens and cotton swabs to mark ballots.