Lee County, Florida (BuzzReport) — Madison Cawthorn, a MAGA-aligned former congressman now seeking the Republican nomination to fill the House seat being vacated by Byron Donalds, was arrested in Florida this week on a charge of driving without a valid license, according to law enforcement records.
The arrest marks Cawthorn’s third traffic-related charge since 2024, continuing a pattern of legal issues that have followed him since leaving office. Authorities said the most recent stop resulted in his detention after officers determined he did not possess a valid driver’s license at the time.
Cawthorn has also drawn scrutiny in recent months over a separate airport security incident in which he brought a weapon into an airport. Officials have not released new details tied to the arrest regarding that incident, but it has been cited by critics as part of a broader record of repeated encounters with law enforcement.
The former North Carolina lawmaker is campaigning in the GOP primary to succeed Donalds, a prominent conservative who announced he would vacate his House seat to pursue higher office. Cawthorn has styled his bid as a return to Congress aligned with former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
Cawthorn has not publicly commented on the latest arrest as of publication.