NC candidate backed by Mark Meadows facing federal charge over campaign donation
Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s 2020 campaign opponent has agreed to enter a plea on a federal charge after investigators accused her of taking campaign contributions from a donor in someone else’s name.
Lynda Bennett, of Haywood County, is accused of knowingly taking more than $25,000 from a relative, far exceeding a $2,800-per-election limit set by federal law, and doing so in another person’s name, according to federal court documents filed Friday.
On Monday, prosecutors made a formal request in court documents for a hearing on Bennett’s plea agreement.
Kearns Davis, an attorney with Brooks Pierce, responded to a voicemail left on Bennett’s cellphone with an emailed statement.
“This case involves a technical violation of campaign-finance regulations, based on a loan from a family member,” Davis said. “Lynda looks forward to putting it behind her.”
The alleged crime, first reported by Politico, is said to have happened around Dec. 31, 2019.
Bennett’s 2019 year-end report does not show a $25,000 donation, but does show she made an $80,000 loan to her campaign on Dec. 31, 2019, which she must pay back by 2050.
Running for office
Bennett ran against Cawthorn in the Republican primary election held on March 3, 2020, and was the handpicked successor of former Rep. Mark Meadows, who had resigned to become former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff.
Bennett secured more votes than Cawthorn in the Republican primary, but both advanced to a runoff on June 23, 2020, and Cawthorn defeated Bennett with 65.8% of the vote.
Cawthorn went on to win the general election and represented North Carolina’s farthest southwestern counties until Jan. 3, when Rep. Chuck Edwards succeeded him.
Edwards beat Cawthorn in the 2022 Republican primary after a series of scandals for the incumbent.
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This story was originally published January 30, 2023 at 10:44 AM with the headline "NC candidate backed by Mark Meadows facing federal charge over campaign donation."
