Trump endorses GOP challenger to South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice

Former President Trump is endorsing a Republican South Carolina state lawmaker’s attempt to unseat Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.). 

Trump’s endorsement of state Rep. Russell Fry marks the latest effort by the former president to make good on his threat to campaign against any Republican who broke with him last year in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

Rice was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the riot. In December, he told Politico he regretted voting against certifying President Biden’s victory on Jan. 6.

In a statement announcing his endorsement on Tuesday, Trump accused Rice of siding with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and congressional Democrats. 

“Congressman Tom Rice of South Carolina, the coward who abandoned his constituents by caving to Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Left, and who actually voted against me on Impeachment Hoax #2, must be thrown out of office ASAP—and we have just the man to do it!” Trump said in endorsing Fry.

Trump has already endorsed a number of Republicans challenging GOP incumbents who voted against him during his second impeachment last year. Among his preferred candidates are Harriet Hageman, who’s challenging Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), as well as Kelly Tshibaka, who’s running to oust Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

Rice represents a district that Trump carried in 2020 by a roughly 18-point margin. That same year, Rice won reelection by a nearly 24-point margin. He also carries a significant cash advantage over Fry; Federal Election Committee filings show that Rice ended 2021 with nearly $1.9 million in the bank compared to Fry’s $327,00.