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Russell Fry (politician)

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Russell Fry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byTom Rice
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 106th district
In office
September 19, 2015 – November 14, 2022
Preceded byNelson Hardwick
Succeeded byThomas Val Guest
Personal details
Born (1985-01-31) January 31, 1985 (age 39)
Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBronwen Fry
Children1
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA)
Charleston School of Law (JD)
WebsiteHouse website

Russell William Fry (born January 31, 1985) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 7th congressional district since 2023.[1]

A member of the Republican Party,[2] Fry represented the 106th District in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023.[3][4] In 2018, he was appointed to the position of Majority Chief Whip for the 122nd South Carolina General Assembly.[5]

Career

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South Carolina House of Representatives

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In May 2015, State Representative Nelson Hardwick announced his resignation after House leadership investigated sexual harassment allegations against him.[6] Fry ran in the special election for Hardwick's seat. He won a plurality of the vote in the Republican primary in July and advanced to a runoff against Tyler Servant.[7] Fry won the runoff, and was unopposed in the general election.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2022

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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina § District 7

In the aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack, Tom Rice, who was serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 7th congressional district, unexpectedly voted in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump.[9] Fry criticized Rice for his vote, and said he was considering running against him in 2022.[10] In August 2021, Fry announced that he would challenge Rice in the 2022 election, emphasizing his opposition to Trump's impeachment.[11] On February 1, 2022, Trump endorsed Fry.[12] In the June 14 Republican primary, Fry defeated Rice by 26.6 percentage points.[13] On November 8, Fry was elected to Congress with 64.9% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Daryl Scott.

Tenure

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Fry was elected to serve as the president of the congressional freshman class during orientation week.[14][15] On January 16, 2023, it was announced that Fry would serve on the House Judiciary Committee.[16]

Political positions

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Syria

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In 2023, Fry was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[17][18]

Somalia

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In 2023, Fry was among 52 Republicans that voted in favor H.Con.Res. 30, which would remove American troops from Somalia.[19][20]

Antisemitism

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Fry was among the 187 Republicans who voted in favor of H.R. 6090: The Antisemitism Awareness Act.[21] The act would require the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism "when reviewing or investigating complaints of discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance."[22] The American Civil Liberties Union, along with other organizations, warned against the adoption of this definition as it could limit free speech surrounding criticism of Israel on college campuses.[23][24]

Israel

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Fry voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[25][26]

Electoral history

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South Carolina House of Representatives District 106
Year Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct
2015 Special Republican Primary Russell Fry 1,152 44.8% Tyler Servant 856 33.3% Roy Sprinkle 374 14.5% Sanford Cox Graves 192 7.5%
2015 Special Republican Primary Runoff[27] Russell Fry 1,738 59.8% Tyler Servant 1,167 40.2%
2015 Special General Election[28] Russell Fry 17,841 99.5%
2016 General Election[29] Russell Fry (i) 17,841 100.0%
2018 General Election[30] Russell Fry (i) 13,198 68.4% Robin Gause 6,088 31.5% Other/Write-in 14 0.1%
United States House of Representatives, South Carolina's 7th congressional district
Year Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct
2022 Republican Primary Russell Fry 43,509 51.1% Tom Rice (i) 20,927 24.6% Barbara Arthur 10,481 12.3% Ken Richardson 6,021 7.1%
2022 General Election Russell Fry 164,160 64.8% Daryl W. Scott 88,779 35.0%

Personal life

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Fry is a Baptist.[31] He is married and has one son.

References

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  1. ^ "South Carolina Primary Results". CNNpolitics. CNN. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Russell W. Fry - South Carolina Representative - Open States". openstates.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Helmer, Katrina (September 19, 2015). "Russell Fry begins work as District 106 state house representative". wmbfnews.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Fleming, Tyler (December 6, 2018). "Horry County's Russell Fry to take on new leadership role in S.C. House of Reps". myrtlebeachonline.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Rep. Hardwick resigns after investigation into sexual harassment claims". WPDE-TV. May 13, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "State House of Representatives District 106 Republican Primary". South Carolina Election Commission. July 28, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  8. ^ Harper, Scott (September 21, 2015). "Russell Fry officially takes over South Carolina House Seat 106 seat". MyHorryNews.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "Rep Tom Rice Votes to Impeach President Trump". rice.house.gov. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Fleming, Tyler; Lovegrove, Jamie (January 31, 2021). "Rep. Russell Fry explores challenging SC GOP-censured Tom Rice for congressional seat". The Post and Courier. Evening Post Industries. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Axelrod, Tal (August 5, 2021). "SC state Rep. Russell Fry launches primary bid against Rice over impeachment vote". The Hill. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  12. ^ Trump endorses GOP challenger to South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice, The Hill, Max Greenwood, February 1, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  13. ^ Hansen, Victoria (June 14, 2022). "Trump gets a split decision in South Carolina as Rice is beaten, while Mace survives". NPR. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  14. ^ James, Andrew (November 20, 2022). ""Congressman-elect Fry named president of congressional freshman class"". WPDE-TV. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  15. ^ Staff, News (November 18, 2022). ""Rep. Fry elected as president of congressional freshman class"". WMBF-TV. Retrieved November 20, 2022. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ "Congressman Russell Fry to serve on House Judiciary Committee". WMBF-TV. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  17. ^ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023". March 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". Associated Press. March 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "House rejects Gaetz resolution to remove US troops from Somalia". Roll Call. April 27, 2023.
  20. ^ "H.Con.Res. 30: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #201 -- Apr 27, 2023". GovTrack.us.
  21. ^ "H.R. 6090: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 -- House Vote #172 -- May 1, 2024". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  22. ^ "H.R.6090 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023". Congress.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  23. ^ "ACLU Statement on Senate Introduction of 'Anti-Semitism Awareness Act'". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  24. ^ Alonso, Johanna. "ACLU Warns Against Adopting Antisemitism Definition". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  25. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (2023-10-25). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  26. ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (2023-10-25). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2023-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "SC - Election Results - House Dist 106 Runoff". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  28. ^ "SC - Election Results - House Dist 106 General". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  29. ^ "South Carolina 106th District State House Results: Russell Fry Wins". The New York Times. 1 August 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  30. ^ "Election Night Reporting - SC House Dist 106 General". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. ^ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-03-16.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 7th congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
374th 		Succeeded by
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