Former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn was arrested in Florida on Wednesday, only days after reports surfaced that he is preparing a return to politics with a planned congressional run in the Sunshine State, as reported by The New York Post.
According to GulfCoastNewsNow, Cawthorn, 28, was arrested at his new home in Cape Coral after failing to appear in court for a citation he received last month for driving without a valid license.
Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn was arrested in Cape Coral for failure to appear in court. More: https://t.co/72w6NamKuq pic.twitter.com/oi2AOoHfu3
— Gulf Coast News (@GCNNow) September 10, 2025
Representatives for Cawthorn confirmed his arrest, attributing the missed court appearance to a scheduling issue.
“Madison keeps a very busy schedule and, due to a scheduling misunderstanding, did not appear in court this morning,” his representatives said in a statement. “Following processing Madison was immediately released.”
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The Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported that Cawthorn was booked and released the same day on a $2,000 bond.
Madison Cawthorn got arrested again. pic.twitter.com/LBNqJix1ds
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 11, 2025
Cawthorn’s arrest comes as Axios reported last week that the former congressman intends to launch a campaign to run for Congress again, this time in Florida’s 19th District.
The district is currently represented by Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who has been considered a rising figure within the party.
Cawthorn previously served one term in Congress representing North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.
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During his time in office, he gained national attention and controversy after making claims that lawmakers in Washington invited him to parties involving cocaine use and sexual activity.
His single term was marked by multiple legal and political challenges, and he lost his seat in 2022.
In 2024, Cawthorn was involved in another incident in Florida when he was accused of tailgating a woman before rear-ending a Florida Highway Patrol officer in Collier County. While he faced scrutiny at the time, no serious charges were filed from that encounter.
Cawthorn, who has used a wheelchair since being partially paralyzed in a car accident at age 18, has maintained a high profile since leaving Congress and has been linked to efforts at reviving his political career.
His arrest in Florida, however, has again brought legal issues into focus as he attempts to return to public office.
The latest development underscores the scrutiny surrounding Cawthorn as he works to reposition himself within Republican politics.
His upcoming campaign announcement in Florida is expected to draw significant attention given his past controversies and high-profile presence on the national stage.
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So which is it? He had no drivers license, or he just didn’t get a Florida license?
It doesn’t matter. This is a man who wants to write laws for the rest of us to obey. At the very least, he should be an exemplar of obeying those laws himself. Given his attention getting behavior, he at best appears to be a muckraker instead of a legitimate politician. I have to wonder if he isn’t a Dem trying to make the Republican party look bad. The excuse that he maintains a very busy schedule but can not keep a simple calendar or drive a car responsibly suggest he is not a serious person. At 28, he should work for a living for ten years or so in a real job before joining the lines of suckling pigs at the Government teat.
After he called out the perverts in our government, he was pushed out of office.
Sounds to me through sheer stupidity, a sense of entitlement and arrogance he has pushed his own dumb ass out of office?
If you can’t even obey a law as simple as getting a driver’s license to operate a vehicle, why would we want you in Congress making laws? I don’t like his entitlement. I don’t like his narcissism. I don’t like the fact that he lied to us about not going to court. Somebody needs to tell this guy his political career is over.
God hates lying and if a person wants to be serving the people then he must not lie.I am not sure what happened here
He’s wrong, but is he any different from the rest of the political class who think they are above the law?