Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) endorsed fellow North Carolina Republican Madison Cawthorn s challenger on Thursday as Cawthorn, a first-term congressman, weathers Republican backlash over his recent suggestion that unnamed GOP colleagues use drugs and attend orgies.

In a statement , Tillis blasted Cawthorn and said he believed North Carolina state Sen. Chuck Edwards (R) was the best choice to represent the district in the states upcoming primary.

The 11th Congressional District deserves a congressman who is fully dedicated to serving their constituents, he wrote.

Unfortunately, Madison Cawthorn has fallen well short of the most basic standards Western North Carolina expects from their representatives, and voters now have several well-qualified candidates to choose from who would be a significant improvement.

Edwards would never embarrass Western North Carolina with a consistent pattern of juvenile behavior, outlandish statements, and untruthfulness, Tillis said.

Despite a history of making offensive and false claims, Cawthorn seemed to finally get the attention of his party colleagues last week when he said in an interview that leaders he admired in Washington, D.C., had used cocaine in front of him and invited him to orgies.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told a reporter that Cawthorn had lost my trust and hes gonna have to earn it back and that hes got a lot of members very upset.