If the representative of Tom Rice hope to win a waiver against his Republican challenger Russell Fry, he will need a large turnout in H Taxi County, South Carolina – the population center of the expanding 7th Congressional District.
Not only is Rice a native of H’Loi (where the “h” stands for silence), he has served as president of the county council and is a prominent attorney and accountant in the Myrtle Beach area.
But Fry, whom former President Donald Trump endorsed, is also from H Sorry — Surfside Beach specifically. Fry will count on pro-Trump voters to show up across the county, stretching inland through the Pee Dee region and to the North Carolina border. However, if he manages to break into Rice’s H’ County base, it could be a disappointing night for the incumbent.
Voters outside a polling station in Conway, where H Taxi County is stationed, provided an uncertain barometer for Rice’s chances. Speaking to CNN beneath the canopy of spacious live oaks on the Conway library campus, several said they pulled leverage for Rice despite or even because of his vote to impeach Trump.
“I think it’s important for him to have seniority there,” said Sean Kobos, who noted that Rice would have a prominent place on the House Ways and Means Committee if Republicans recapture the majority. number. “I think we have to think about the county.”
Kobos said he disagreed with Trump’s impeachment but dismissed Trump’s attempt to oust Rice. “I think it’s just a way of whitewashing,” he said.
A woman from Conway, who declined to be named because of her work, said she and her husband both voted for Rice to push back against Republican hostility over the impeachment vote.
“I don’t think he should be punished for that,” she said.
That is the view of Richard Lovelace, a regular Democratic voter who voted in the public vote for Rice.
“He was the antithesis of my political ideology, but he sided with Trump,” Lovelace said. “Faced with a hurricane, he didn’t back down.”
Lovelace says Rice’s reputation in the community will help him, despite Trump’s fury. And he even predicted GOP voters would turn against the former President.
“I’m starting to see some erosion of pro-Trump among my close Republican friends,” Lovelace said.
But that is not the view of some of the other Conway voters who spoke to CNN. Tim Roper, who left the library to find his exact polling place, said Rice abandoned his “good intentions” after taking office.
“He voted to impeach Trump,” Roper said. “He’s not a real Republican anymore.”
Roper said he didn’t know who he would support in the crowded area, but others said they lined up behind Fry after Trump endorsed him.
Charlie Parrish, who voted for Fry, said: “What Trump has done is shift the numbers, especially among those who are on the fence. Like Rice, Parrish is an attorney, and he said the impeachment vote was unconstitutional.
“I like Tom Rice. I personally know him,” Parrish said. “He didn’t follow the law. He’s doing what Tom says. “
In addition to Fry, there are other Republicans vying for the nomination. While they are unlikely to win, their presence could keep the top two contenders under 50% and force a pass for two weeks. Lindsey Hilbourn told CNN he voted for Spencer Morris, a pharmacist and small business owner from Georgetown County.
“I watched the debate on TV, and he impressed me,” said Hilbourn. When asked who he would support in the Rice vs Fry clash, Hilbourn said he would go with Fry.
“I was in the Trump band,” he said. “When [Rice] voted to impeach, that kind of bores me with him. “
Dean and Melissa Thompson said they voted for Ken Richardson, an H sorry County school board member. The couple said they weren’t considering voting for Rice or Fry.
“Both were purchased and paid for by the Chamber of Commerce,” says Melissa Thompson.
But in the event of an argument between the candidates, the couple said they are likely to annul their vote. Melissa Thompson says she will have to vote for Fry because Congress needs “fresh blood” and she is always trying to vote against incumbents.
By contrast, her husband, Dean Thompson, said while opposing the vote to impeach Rice, he would support him in a vote.
“That’s the only thing he did wrong,” he said.
Read more about South Carolina races here.
