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William Timmons (politician)

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William Timmons
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byTrey Gowdy
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 6th district
In office
November 14, 2016 – November 9, 2018
Preceded byMike Fair
Succeeded byDwight Loftis
Personal details
Born
William Richardson Timmons IV

(1984-04-30) April 30, 1984 (age 40)
Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Sarah Anderson
​
​
(m. 2019; div. 2023)​
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
University of South Carolina (MA, JD)
New York University (MS)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Airforce
Years of service2018–present (South Carolina Air National Guard)
RankCaptain
UnitUnited States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps

William Richardson Timmons IV (born April 30, 1984) is an American attorney, entrepreneur, and politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 4th congressional district since 2019. His district is in the heart of the Upstate and includes Greenville, Spartanburg, and most of their suburbs. A member of the Republican Party, Timmons served as a South Carolina state senator from 2016 to 2018.[1][2]

Early life and education

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In high school at Christ Church Episcopal School, Timmons was the 2001 South Carolina Player of the Year in tennis and won an individual state title in 2002.[3]

A native of Greenville, Timmons attended George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, where he earned a degree in international affairs and political science. While enrolled, Timmons played Division I tennis.[3] He received a partial scholarship all four years.[citation needed]

Timmons earned a Juris Doctor and a master's degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina.[4]

Early career

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Timmons spent four years working for the 13th Circuit solicitor's office. In this role, he focused on serving victims of domestic violence and helped create a central court for all domestic violence cases in Greenville County.[5] As Assistant Solicitor, Timmons prosecuted a variety of offenses during his legal career, including domestic abuse, white-collar crime, and murder.[4]

In 2016, Timmons challenged longtime state senator Mike Fair in the Republican primary for a Greenville-area district. He finished first in the primary with 49.5% of the vote, fewer than 100 votes shy of winning the nomination outright.[6] He then defeated Fair in the runoff with 65% of the vote[7] and faced no major-party opposition in the general election.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2018

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Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina § District 4

Timmons was elected to replace retiring Republican incumbent Trey Gowdy in South Carolina's 4th congressional district. His campaign slogan was "Washington is broken."[9][10] On June 10, Timmons placed second in a 13-candidate primary–the real contest in this heavily Republican district–receiving 19.2% of the vote. On June 28, 2018, Timmons defeated former state senator Lee Bright in the runoff with 54.2% of the vote. He did not have to give up his state senate seat to run for Congress; South Carolina state senators serve four-year terms that run concurrently with presidential elections.

Timmons defeated Brandon Brown in the November general election with 59.5% of the vote.[11][12] He became one of the youngest U.S. representatives from South Carolina since 1972.[13]

2020

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Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina § District 4

Timmons defeated Democratic nominee Kim Nelson with 61.6% of the vote.[14]

2022

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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina § District 4

In a four-candidate Republican primary, Timmons prevailed with 52.7% of the vote;[15] he was the only candidate on the general election ballot as his Democratic opponent dropped out in August.[16]

2024

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Main article: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina § District 4

Timmons faced State Representative Adam Morgan in the Republican Primary held on June 11, 2024 and won.[17] Timmons is endorsed by 2024 Republican nominee for President, Donald Trump.[18] Morgan, chair of the SC Freedom Caucus, was endorsed by US Representative Matt Gaetz.[19]

Timmons faced Mark Hackett, Constitution Party nominee and Democratic Party nominee, Spartanburg County Democratic Party Chair Kathryn Harvey.[20][21]Timmons won re-election on November 5, 2024.[22]

Tenure

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Timmons was sworn into office on January 3, 2019, amid a government shutdown. He cosponsored legislation to require Congress to balance the budget, defund Planned Parenthood, support Gold Star Families, strengthen national defense, and promote school choice.[23]

Timmons serves on the Financial Services Committee, where he introduced legislation seeking to counter China's efforts to expand its 5G influence in countries receiving assistance from international financial institutions. He was elected by his classmates to represent the freshman class on the Republican Steering Committee.[24]

He introduced legislation proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of consecutive terms that a member of Congress may serve (H.J.Res.86).[25]

Timmons supported President Donald Trump during his first impeachment, saying of the process, "It is very, very, very broken" (referring to his 2018 campaign slogan "Washington is broken"). He added that he thought the process would be fair in the Senate and called the opposition to impeachment "bipartisan."[26]

In December 2020, Timmons was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[27] Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[28][29][30]

In January 2021, Timmons announced he would object to the certification of Biden as president.[31] When Congress reconvened after the storming of the United States Capitol, Timmons voted to object to the Electoral College results.[32]

Timmons was among the 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House. The bill, to enact spending cuts and raise the debt ceiling until January 2025, still was signed into law.[33]

In July 2024, Timmons questioned former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at a House Oversight Committee hearing. His comments gained national attention as Cheatle resigned the next day following fiery questioning from congressional leaders.[34]

Veterans

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The PACT ACT which expanded VA benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Timmons.[35] Regarding cannabis, despite lobbying from VSOs such as the DAV[36] Timmons also voted against 2022 MORE Act.[37][38]

Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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Electoral history

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South Carolina's 4th congressional district, Republican primary results, 2024
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 36,533 51.6
Republican Adam Morgan 34,269 48.4
Total votes 70,802 100.0
South Carolina's 4th congressional district, general election, 2022[41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 165,607 90.81
N/A Write-Ins 16,758 9.19
Total votes 182,365 100.0
South Carolina's 4th congressional district, Republican primary results, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 24,800 52.69
Republican Mark Burns 11,214 23.83
Republican Michael Mike LaPierre 8,029 17.06
Republican George Abuzeid 3,024 6.42
Total votes 47,067 100.0
South Carolina's 4th congressional district, general election, 2020[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 222,126 61.61
Democratic Kim Nelson 133,023 36.89
Constitution Michael Chandler 5,090 1.41
N/A Write-Ins 311 0.09
Margin of victory 83,702 23.4
Total votes 360,550 100.0
Republican hold
South Carolina's 4th congressional district, general election, 2018[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 145,321 59.57
Democratic Brandon Brown 89,182 36.56
American Guy Furay 9,203 3.77
N/A Write-Ins 244 0.10
Margin of victory 56,139 23.01
Total votes 243,950 100.0
Republican hold
South Carolina's 4th Congressional District, Republican primary runoff results, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 37,096 54.29
Republican Lee Bright 31,236 45.71
Total votes 68,332 100.0
South Carolina's 4th congressional district, Republican primary results, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lee Bright 16,742 24.95
Republican William Timmons 12,885 19.21
Republican Dan Hamilton 12,494 18.62
Republican Josh Kimbrell 7,465 11.13
Republican James Epley 5,386 8.03
Republican Stephen Brown 5,078 7.57
Republican Shannon Pierce 2,442 3.64
Republican Mark Burns 1,662 2.48
Republican Claude Schmid 1,414 2.11
Republican Dan Albert 510 0.76
Republican John Marshall Mosser 457 0.68
Republican Justin David Sanders 354 0.53
Republican Barry Bell 200 0.3
Total votes 67,089 100.0
South Carolina State Senate, District 6 general election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 31,732 85.10
Constitution Roy G. Magnuson 5,556 14.90
Total votes 37,288 100.0
South Carolina State Senate, District 6 Republican primary runoff, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 6,244 65.30
Republican Michael Fair 3,318 34.70
Total votes 9,562 100.0
South Carolina State Senate, District 6 Republican primary, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 4,880 49.51
Republican Michael Fair 3,578 36.30
Republican Johnny Edwards 1,399 14.19
Total votes 9,857 100.0

Personal life

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On July 17, 2019, Timmons married his wife, Sarah, on the balcony of the U.S. Capitol. Senator Tim Scott officiated.[44]

In response to posts on social media, Timmons acknowledged in July 2022 that he and his wife were working on their marriage after "going through tough times" in recent months. He said other allegations were false and mostly defamatory and asked for "privacy and prayers." He told his constituents "don't be distracted" and emphasized that his personal life does not affect his congressional service.[45]

Sarah filed for marital separation in mid-November 2022. In a statement provided to The Greenville News, the couple said they "will continue to remain close friends" and "respectfully ask for privacy".[46] Divorce proceedings can begin a year after separation per South Carolina law.[47] Timmons was divorced by June 2024 and said they are "still on very good terms".[48]

Timmons is a captain in the Air National Guard.[49] He has served since 2018 as a JAG officer assigned to the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.[50]

He is a Protestant.[51]

References

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  1. ^ "William Timmons". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "William Timmons". SC State House website. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "2002-03 Men's Tennis Roster: William Timmons". George Washington University Athletics. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Provost, Julie (August 6, 2019). "William Timmons: Veteran, Congressman from South Carolina". collegerecon.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "William Timmons for Congress". Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 06 - R Primary Race - Jun 14, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 06 - R Runoff Race - Jun 28, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 06 Race - Nov 08, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Lovegrove, Jamie (May 5, 2018). "In crowded GOP primary to replace Trey Gowdy, conservatives vie for Trump voters". The Post & Courier. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  10. ^ Lovegrove, Jamie (December 18, 2019). "SC's 7 congressmen split along party lines as House votes to impeach Trump". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  11. ^ "South Carolina Election Results: Fourth House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  12. ^ contact@scytl.com, scytl. "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  13. ^ Brown, Kirk (November 6, 2018). "William Timmons moves into Trey Gowdy's seat in SC's 4th Congressional District". The Greenville News. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  14. ^ "2020 Statewide General Election Night Reporting - Results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  15. ^ "2022 Statewide Primaries". South Carolina Election Commission. June 20, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  16. ^ Hussion, Patrick (November 2, 2022). "South Carolina: Candidates for U.S. 4th Congressional District". WYFF. Retrieved November 6, 2022. Timmons is the only candidate on the ballot ... Independent write-in candidate, Lee Turner, is staging a strong campaign.
  17. ^ Ferrara, David (June 12, 2024). "William Timmons ekes out win over challenger Adam Morgan in District 4 GOP primary". The Post and Courier Greenville. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  18. ^ Moss, Savannah (March 1, 2024). "Former president Donald Trump endorses William Timmons for Congress for second time". Greenville News. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Moss, Savannah (April 17, 2024). "Matt Gaetz to campaign for Adam Morgan, 'Congress needs more America First warriors'". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Savannah Moss, and Samantha Swann (April 1, 2024). "Candidate filings close. Who's on ballot? Contested races in Upstate in June, November". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  21. ^ "Mark Hackett". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  22. ^ "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  23. ^ "Rep. Timmons Cosponsors his First Legislation". Timmons U.S. House website (Press release). January 28, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  24. ^ "Timmons Introduces Bill to Counter China's Efforts to Expand 5G Influence". Timmons U.S. House website (Press release). February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  25. ^ "H.J.Res.86 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of consecutive terms that a Member of Congress may serve". congress.gov. Library of Congress. March 5, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  26. ^ Lovegrove, Jamie (December 18, 2019). "SC's 7 congressmen split along party lines as House votes to impeach Trump". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  27. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  28. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  29. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  30. ^ Diaz, Daniella (December 11, 2020). "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  31. ^ Brown, Kirk (January 4, 2021). "SC congressmen join GOP effort to oppose Biden election results, but not Sen. Tim Scott". Greenville News. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  32. ^ Brown, Kirk (January 7, 2021). "Duncan, Timmons and 3 other SC congressmen voted to object to Electoral College results". Greenville News. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  33. ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  34. ^ Quinn, Melissa (July 23, 2024). "Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faces fierce grilling at first hearing on Trump shooting". CBS News. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  35. ^ "Roll Call 57 | Bill Number: H. R. 3967". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  36. ^ Saintsing, Matt (July 2023). "Greenlighting veteran cannabis research". DAV Magazine. p. 5. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  37. ^ "Send Marijuana Bill Back to Committee". C-SPAN. April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  38. ^ "William Timmons' Voting Records on Issue: Marijuana". VoteSmart. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "William Timmons Committees and Caucuses". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  40. ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  41. ^ "Official Results: U.S. House of Representatives, District 4". South Carolina Election Commission. November 17, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  42. ^ "Unofficial Results". 2020 Statewide General Elections November 3, 2020. South Carolina Election Commission. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  43. ^ "Unofficial Results". 2018 Statewide General Elections November 6, 2018. South Carolina Election Commission. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  44. ^ LaFleur, Elizabeth (August 2, 2019). "Rep. William Timmons marries on Senate balcony as Sen. Tim Scott officiates". Greenville News. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  45. ^ Houck, Taggart (July 19, 2022). "South Carolina Congressman William Timmons addresses rumors on social media regarding his personal life". WYFF-TV. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  46. ^ Connor, Eric (November 21, 2022). "Wife of Upstate SC congressman Timmons files for divorce". The Post and Courier. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  47. ^ Chhetri, Devyani (November 18, 2022). "Congressman William Timmons and wife Sarah Timmons file for separation". Greenville News. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  48. ^ Bowman, Bridget (June 10, 2024). "GOP hard-liners are pushing to oust House colleagues – and they have a new target". NBC News. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  49. ^ Connor, Eric (July 19, 2022). "US Rep. Timmons deflects affair, abuse of power allegations on Upstate SC radio". The Post and Courier. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  50. ^ Rudowski, Julie Cameron (November 29, 2018). "AUSA welcomes 8 new Army veterans to 116th Congress". AUSA. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  51. ^ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023. p. 11.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Timmons.
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 6th district
2016–2018 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 4th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
276th 		Succeeded by
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