Rep. Russell Fry, R-Horry, speaks during a press conference introducing a civil asset forfeiture reform bill at the Statehouse on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. Jm Forfeiture 021319 013
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has notched a significant victory in South Carolina, where his preferred candidate made five-term Rep. Tom Rice the first Republican to be booted from office after voting to impeach the former president last year.
Russell Fry won the 7th-District Republican primary, defeating the incumbent who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump.
Rice defended his impeachment vote, telling Politico recently “I think that was one of the worst things, if not the worst, that a president has ever done in terms of attacking the Constitution and separation of powers.”
The former president issued a celebratory statement Tuesday night, saying Fry’s win is the “biggest News of the evening so far is that Russell Fry beat Impeach Master Tom Rice with a Vote of more than 51%, therefore WINNING OUTRIGHT with no need for a run-off.”
Another high-profile GOP target of Trump, Rep. Nancy Mace, managed to hold back a challenger in Tuesday’s primary. Voters’ different judgment in the two South Carolina races reflects a split within the GOP about how to move forward from the Trump era. Meanwhile, in Nevada, Trump’s pick, Adam Laxalt, won his U.S. Senate primary, defeating a populist candidate who is arguably more representative of the Trump base.
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