South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice became the biggest casualty of former President Donald Trump’s wrath over the 2020 elections, losing a primary Tuesday to a rival who argued that Rice was a traitor for voting with nine other House Republicans for impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Rice had less than 25 percent to Trump-endorsed state Rep. Russell Fry’s 51 percent when The Associated Press called the race at 11:01 p.m. with an estimated 98.4 percent of the vote counted. The other five Republicans in the race had a combined 24 percent.
Rice is the first pro-impeachment Republican to lose a primary against a Trump-backed challenger. Four of the 10 opted to retire rather than seek reelection, while California Rep. David Valadao appears to be on track to win the second-place spot in the June 7 all-party primary, which has yet to be called.
