Madison Cawthorn, who is running as a Republican to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, took part in the third night of the Republican National Convention, where he shared his message for love of country.
Cawthorn, who was left partially paralyzed after a car accident in 2014, focused primarily on young leaders in America.
“At 18 years old, I was in a horrific car accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down,” Cawthorn recalled. “Instantly, my hopes and dreams were seemingly destroyed. I was given a one percent chance of surviving, but thanks to the power of prayer, a very loving community, and many skilled doctors, I made it. It took me over a year to recover.”
“My first public outing in a wheelchair was to a professional baseball game,” Cawthorn said. “Before my accident, I was 6’ 3”. I stood out in a crowd. But as I was wheeled through the stadium, I felt invisible. At 20, I thought about giving up. However, I knew I could still make a difference.”
Cawthorn also discussed how the accident gave him hope.
“My accident has given me new eyes to see and new ears to hear,” Cawthorn stated, adding:
God protected my mind and my ability to speak. So I say to people who feel forgotten, ignored, and invisible, “I see you. I hear you.” At 20, I made a choice. In 2020, our country has a choice. We can give up on the American idea, or we can work together to make our imperfect union more perfect.
“I choose to fight for the future, to seize the high ground, and retake the Shining City on a Hill,” Cawthorn continued. “While the radical left wants to dismantle, defund, and destroy, Republicans, under President Trump’s leadership, want to rebuild, restore, and renew.”
Cawthorn then looked toward the November election, noting his age and his willingness to work in Washington, DC.
“I just turned 25. When I’m elected this November, I’ll be the youngest member of Congress in over 200 years,” Cawthorn said. “If you don’t think young people can change the world, then you just don’t know American history.”
“George Washington was 21 when he received his first military commission; Abe Lincoln, 22 when he first ran for office; and my personal favorite, James Madison was just 25 years old when she signed the Declaration of Independence,” Cawthorn continued.
“In times of peril, young people have stepped up and saved this country abroad and at home,” Cawthorn noted. “We held the line, scaled the cliffs, crossed oceans, liberated camps, and cracked codes. Yet, today, political forces want to usher in the digital dark ages, a time of information without wisdom and tribalism, without truth.”
Cawthorn then took aim at “national leaders” of the Democrat Party, saying they have rejected Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.
“National leaders on the left have normalized emotion-based voting and a radicalized identity politics that rejects Martin Luther King’s dream,” Cawthorn said.
“MLK’s dream is our dream, for all Americans to be judged solely on their character,” Cawthorn continued. “Millions of people risk their lives every year to come here because they believe in the dream of MLK and the American dream. Join us, as we, the party of freedom, double down on ensuring the American Dream for all people.”
In concluding his message, Cawthorn also urged both liberals and conservatives to work together. He then told Americans to be “radical for freedom and liberty” as he rose from his wheelchair to honor the American flag and its meaning.
“You can kneel before God, but stand for our flag,” Cawthorn told viewers. “The American idea my ancestors fought for during the Revolutionary War is as exciting and revolutionary today as it was 250 years ago. I say to Americans who love our country, young and old, ‘Be a radical for freedom. Be a radical for liberty. Be a radical for our republic for which I stand. One nation under God with liberty and justice for all.'”
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