Big news out of South Carolina!
Rep. Tom Rice, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump after the January 6th Capitol riot, has been defeated in his primary.
Rice lost the primary election to Trump-endorsed Russell Fry.
After easily defeating the five-term U.S. representative, Fry will represent the 7th District’s Republican nomination.
https://twitter.com/Trump2094578522/status/1536887803296063488
U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection, has been ousted from Congress in his South Carolina GOP primary. Rice was defeated by state Rep. Russell Fry, who was backed by Trump. https://t.co/JXYD2GA1R0 pic.twitter.com/m7dVFme649
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 15, 2022
In South Carolina, a candidate needs to get more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.
When AP called the race, Fry led 51.1% to Rice’s 24.6%.
NPR reported:
Rice had refused to back down to the tirades of a former president and from his conviction that Trump is to blame for the Capitol attack.
He told NPR in February, “If we’re going to have a scenario where the president can try to intimidate Congress … we might as well have a monarchy.”
Rice even doubled down and said he regretted not voting to certify the presidential election in favor of Joe Biden. That angered many voters and inspired a slew of GOP candidates, including Fry, who wanted to take Rice down. The challengers said he had betrayed the conservative district and the former president.
Trump, meantime, has called the longtime congressman a “coward” and someone “no one trusts.” He even gathered supporters in March for a rally in the district Rice represents to deliver a punishing speech and again endorse Fry.
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