Twelve of thirteen candidates running for the Congressional District 7 seat are Republicans vying for the Republican held seat.
Congressman Tom Rice (R-Myrtle Beach) cast a vote to impeach the 45th President, Donald J. Trump, over the events of January 6th, 2021. That vote has caused voters of District 7 to examine his overall record in congress more closely and he has now garnered challengers.
Rice, who previously served as the elected Horry County Council Chairman has typically supported Chamber of Commerce and ‘Crony Capitalist’ policies. He is being targeted in his re-election bid now after he joined nine other House Republicans at the time in voting to impeach President Trump in the second failed impeachment trial last year.
Rice has doubled-down on being anti-Trump in comments and then voted in favor of the “1/6 Commission” that was defeated in the US Senate.
The 7th District, which stretches from the Grand Strand through most of the Pee Dee region, is strongly Republican but is dominated by the Grand Strand – which has shown a tendency towards favoring more left-leaning Republicans in primaries.
Trump won the district by 19 points in both of his presidential bids. No matter the nominee, Republicans will be a heavy favorite to win the district in what looks to be a Republican-favored year.
The hope for many who oppose Rice’s re-election bid was to have a limited number of Republican Primary opponents so the election does not become muddled amongst several candidates. That hope is out the window as many challengers have joined the race where the first round of primary voting requires 50% plus one vote to become the nominee without a runoff in the June 2022 partisan elections.
Let’s take a look at the field thus far.
REPUBLICANS:
Graham Allen: Allen is a media personality for Turning Point USA and formerly of The Blaze. He is also a US Army combat veteran. Allen has a built-in national following and grassroots organizers which should be helpful in a district where he has caught flack from being a resident in the state’s 3rd congressional district in the Upstate. Residency requirements for running for congress are only that you must reside in the state, not the district. Allen is running on an America First agenda and conservative issues as a person that will closely represent his constituency’s wishes.
Barbara Arthur: A Christian Speaker and insurance agent, Arthur was born in Fidel Castro’s Communist Cuba. The Hartsville resident has used her background to warn against the rising presence of socialism in the United States and on protecting Christian heritage in the country.
Louis Bushay: Not much is known about the recent candidacy of Bushay other than he is running on an American First message.
Justin Davison: Davison, of Loris, is in sales with Johnson Controls and touts his conservative values and lengthy list of community service, including volunteering in the South Carolina National Guard.
Tom Dunn: Pawley’s Island businessman Tom Dunn co-founded conservative grassroots organization OverWatchUSA in 2020. Dunn also owns a marketing consulting firm and has run a Christian drama ministry with his wife, Denise. Dunn has a significant following on social media fueling his campaign.
Russell Fry: Fry, of Surfside Beach, is one of Speaker Jay Lucas’ top lieutenants in the state house. Fry doesn’t fit directly in one ideological camp but has personal popularity and presumably, the resources to challenge for the seat should he decide to run. Fry is still currently in the exploratory process in a decision for congressional run. Fry would also benefit from fellow member of the Horry County delegation, State Rep. William Bailey, who decided against running for congress after being the first elected official to explore a bid.
George Kite: Kite is a general contractor and owner of Kite Home Services. Kite is a Trump supporter and attended the January 6th rally to protest the November 2020 election results.
“And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” Exodus 18:25
Mark McBride: The former mayor of Myrtle Beach had a proven conservative record in his two terms at the helm of the worldwide tourist destination. McBride, known to be strong on the American First agenda and very pro-law enforcement, would appear to face an uphill climb after he suffered a landslide defeat in an August 2020 special GOP Primary for the state house.
Steve Reichert: Reichert has a nationwide following and has appeared as a guest in numerous television outlets. He is a Marine Combat Veteran who owns a defense contracting primary. Reichert also serves on the Board of Directors for several non-profit organizations. Reichert’s website has a litany of conservative positions noticeably including opposing the Patriot Act and “endless wars.”
Tom Rice: The current congressman, an attorney, has ranked as the most liberal member of the SC Republican house delegation during his tenure from right-leaning groups. With high name recognition in the district and the backing of special interest groups, Rice is likely to advance to the runoff against another opponent. With a decidedly pro-Trump primary electorate on top of being censured by the SCGOP and local Republican organizations, Rice will definitely face his toughest challenge yet.
Jeanette Spurlock: Spurlock, of Myrtle Beach, has made a career in property management. Her campaign has focused on knowing more about who represents the people and who is looking to replace them. Spurlock has perhaps been the most active candidate on the campaign trail, criss-crossing the district and developing a social media imprint.
Ken Richardson: Richardson has been a highly successful car dealer and currently serves as the elected Chairman of the Horry County School Board, one of the largest school districts in South Carolina. Many consider Richardson – who has the ability to partially self-fund his campaign and raise significant amounts of money – as the top contender to Rice. With some of his opponents having very loose ties to the 7th District, Richardson has made a very clear message that his community work in the district extends back for decades. Richardson has admitted that he has previously thought that he might run for congress in the future, but Rice’s vote for impeachment against President Trump accelerated his timeline.
DEMOCRATS:
Ryan Norris: Norris is the only declared Democrat in the race and has not shared a public campaign platform.
It is likely that some of these candidates will drop out of the race and others will emerge. It is likely that the Republicans will retake the US House next year. Pundits have noted that for a change in leadership of congress to make any real difference, politicians like Tom Rice must be defeated and replaced with “real constitutional conservatives”.
Voters in the 7th District and others around the country have a task ahead of them.
Preston Baines can be reached on Twitter/Parler @prestonbaines and prestonbaines@gmail.com.
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