Madison Cawthorn’s Win & His Insults to the Disability Movement

As the projected winner for North Carolina’s 11th district was announced last night, my stomach wrenched. Madison Cawthorn, a 25-year-old male from North Carolina without any work history, education, or qualifications won his race over Moe Davis, and will now be the youngest person to ever serve in congress.

Cawthorn had one obvious advantage over his competitor — he was a pretty disabled boy with a great smile who’s “overcome” so much by being in a wheelchair. And isn’t that wonderful?

You may think this line is unfair but hear me out. I’m a paraplegic female who’s fought her entire adulthood against the view of what disability is expected to be. I, like Cawthorn, am disabled due to a car accident. I connect with other disability activists every day about how we’re treated by society and media — how the disabled community is portrayed and how to fight against stereotypes. We almost all feel the same way about Cawthorn’s position as the new Republican darling — fearful and disgusted.

What Cawthorn has done since his injury six years ago is lean into stereotypes saying disabled people need to overcome their disability. Cawthorn himself has said these things. When he met Donald Trump earlier in 2020, Cawthorn noted how kind Trump was to him, a person in a wheelchair.