Last Updated on June 15, 2022
U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) — who voted to impeach President Trump — was soundly defeated in a primary race against State Rep. Russell Fry. Of the 10 house Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 Capitol protests, Rice is the first to be ousted at the ballot box. U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), John Katko (R-NY) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) have all announced plans to retire rather than face a primary challenge.
Tom Rice, a five-term incumbent, was soundly defeated after Fry received Donald Trump’s endorsement. Rice ultimately lost the race by more than 25 points.
Trump, who turned 76 on Tuesday, had asked supporters to gift him primary defeats for Rice and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) as a birthday present.
The former president ultimately received just one of these outcomes as Mace was able to fend off a formidable primary challenge from Katie Arrington.
Though Nancy Mace did not vote to impeach President Trump, she did condemn him for the Capitol protests and voted to certify the election. She was also one of nine House Republicans who voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress and has called for bipartisan “gun safety” legislation.
Trump offered a statement on both races in a statement via Truth Social.
The former president congratulated Arrington on running a tough race, calling her campaign a “long shot.”
“Congrats to Nancy Mace, who should easily be able to defeat her Democrat opponent!” Trump added.
“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,” Trump said of the race between Tom Rice and Fry.
Rice acknowledged that his impeachment vote could end his political career but has stood by his vote. “Win, lose or draw, I did the right thing, and I know I did the right thing,” he said. “I can’t think of any president who has ever done anything worse in terms of government,” Rice said of Trump’s conduct.
Russel Fry thanked his supporters at a campaign event on Tuesday. “The voters have spoken. Tom Rice is coming home. And we did it, what everyone said could not be done,” he said of avoiding a runoff. “Today, the conservatives in the Republican Party won. Today, Donald Trump won. And today, the voters of the 7th Congressional District won.”
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) — a January 6 Select Committee member — is currently down by double digits in her home state. It is possible she will become the sixth of 10 Trump impeachment voters to exit congress.
