Rex Rice
Rex Rice | |
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Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 2nd district | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office November 14, 2016 | |
Preceded by | Larry A. Martin |
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 26th district | |
In office 1994–2010 | |
Preceded by | Willie B. McMahand, Sr. |
Succeeded by | Eric Bikas |
Personal details | |
Born | (1957-05-09) May 9, 1957 (age 67) Pensacola, Florida |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Ruth Britts (m. 1982) |
Children | 2; Toni Rice, Meredith Rice |
Parent(s) | Frank and Claire Rice |
Residence | Easley, South Carolina |
Alma mater | Anderson College University of South Carolina |
Occupation | Politician, businessman |
Rex F. Rice (born May 9, 1957) is an American politician. He has represented South Carolina Senate District 2 in the South Carolina Senate since 2016.[1] Previously, Rice served House District 26 in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 to 2010. He is a member of the Republican Party.[2]
Political Career
S.C. House of Representatives
Elections
Rice was first elected to represent South Carolina State House District 26 in 1994. He did not seek re-election in 2010, instead opting to run for South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District when Gresham Barrett stepped down to run for Governor of South Carolina in the 2010 election. Rice would lose the primary to Jeff Duncan.[3][4][5]
S.C. Senate
Elections
2012 election
Rice first ran for Senate District 2 in 2012. After initially being decertified from the ballot,[6] he was allowed as a petition candidate. He lost to the incumbent, Larry Martin.[7][8]
2016 election
In 2016, Rice formally entered the Republican primary. Since no candidate received a majority of the votes, it went to a head-to-head runoff between Martin and Rice. This time, in an upset, Rice defeated the incumbent.[9][4][10][11] The primary run-off was especially contentious, with dark money ads donors funding attack ads.[12] In the general, he ran uncontested and was elected to the South Carolina Senate to represent S.C. Senate District 2.
2020-2024 elections
In 2020, Rice ran in an uncontested race. In 2024, Rice will again go uncontested. If reelected, it will be his third term.
Tenure
Following redistricting after the 2020 US Census, S.C. Senate District 2 covers most of Pickens County.[1]
As of April 2024[update], Rice serves on the Corrections and Penology Committee, the Education Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, and the Transportation Committee.[1]
Since 2022, he has opposed efforts to pass a hate crime bill in South Carolina.[13]
In February 2023, he filed a resolution to limit congressional terms.[14] This would make South Carolina one of 34 states that would need to call a national convention to amend the US Constitution.
In November 2023, he sponsored Constitutional Carry legislation to relax gun control laws by lowering the age of carrying a handgun and getting rid of requiring permits, training, and background checks.[15]
Political Views
Conservatism
Rice is a fiscal conservative.[16] Rice believes education and environment issues should be left entirely to the states. For example, he advocates for the repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act.[17]
Reproductive Rights
Rice supports a near-total ban on abortion, without exceptions for rape or incest.[18][19]
Personal Life
Rice lives in Easley, South Carolina with his wife Ruth. He owns a construction company.[16] He is Presbyterian. He graduated from Anderson University and the University of South Carolina.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "South Carolina Legislature Online – Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ "SC - Election Results". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Staff, ABC Columbia Site (June 29, 2016). "Sen. Larry Martin Loses Re-Election Bid". ABC Columbia. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "South Carolina 3rd District Race Profile - Election 2010 - The New York Times". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "At a glance: Primary election confusion sorted out". WYFF. June 8, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "SC - Election Results". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "Woman breaks into South Carolina's all-male Senate". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Barnett, Ron (June 29, 2016). "Expert: Upstate loses political clout with Martin's loss". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Self, Jamie (June 28, 2016). "4 SC Senate incumbents fall in runoffs". The State. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "The Latest: Senate incumbents defeated in primary runoffs". AP News. June 29, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Tim (October 10, 2018). "Statehouse corruption probe: Upstate senator was victim of veiled attacks, grand jury says". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Chhetri, Devyani (March 2, 2022). "Could the lack of a hate crimes bill hurt job growth in South Carolina?". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Selleck, Stacey (February 7, 2023). "South Carolina Senator Rex Rice Files Resolution to Term Limit Congress - U.S. Term Limits". Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Llerena, Rey (November 14, 2023). "Gun safety organization holds meeting to discuss potential new 'Constitutional carry' bill". WYFF. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b South Carolina General Assembly (May 27, 2010). "H. 5039: Honorable Rex Fontaine Rice". SCStateHouse.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Adcox, Seanna (May 26, 2010). "GOP candidates for SC 3rd District blast Obama". Spartanburg Herald Journal. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Paquette, Danielle (May 23, 2023). "As S.C. abortion vote nears, GOP women rebuke the men: 'It's always about control'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "Larry Martin, Rex Rice Debate Issues". Easley, SC Patch. October 24, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
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- President of the Senate
- Thomas C. Alexander (R)
- Majority Leader
- A. Shane Massey (R)
- Minority Leader
- Brad Hutto (D)
- ▌Thomas C. Alexander (R)
- ▌Rex Rice (R)
- ▌Richard Cash (R)
- ▌Michael Gambrell (R)
- ▌Tom Corbin (R)
- ▌Dwight Loftis (R)
- ▌Karl B. Allen (D)
- ▌Ross Turner (R)
- ▌Danny Verdin (R)
- ▌Billy Garrett (R)
- ▌Josh Kimbrell (R)
- ▌Scott Talley (R)
- ▌Shane Martin (R)
- ▌Harvey S. Peeler Jr. (R)
- ▌Wes Climer (R)
- ▌Michael Johnson (R)
- ▌Mike Fanning (D)
- ▌Ronnie Cromer (R)
- ▌Tameika Isaac Devine (D)
- ▌Dick Harpootlian (D)
- ▌Darrell Jackson (D)
- ▌Mia McLeod (I)
- ▌Katrina Shealy (R)
- ▌Tom Young Jr. (R)
- ▌A. Shane Massey (R)
- ▌Nikki G. Setzler (D)
- ▌Penry Gustafson (R)
- ▌Greg Hembree (R)
- ▌Gerald Malloy (D)
- ▌Kent M. Williams (D)
- ▌Mike Reichenbach (R)
- ▌Ronnie A. Sabb (D)
- ▌Luke A. Rankin (R)
- ▌Stephen Goldfinch (R)
- ▌Thomas McElveen (D)
- ▌Kevin L. Johnson (D)
- ▌Larry Grooms (R)
- ▌Sean Bennett (R)
- ▌Vernon Stephens (D)
- ▌Brad Hutto (D)
- ▌Sandy Senn (R)
- ▌Deon Tedder (D)
- ▌Chip Campsen (R)
- ▌Brian Adams (R)
- ▌Margie Bright Matthews (D)
- ▌Tom Davis (R)
- ▌Republican (30)
- ▌Democratic (15)
- ▌ Independent (1)
South Carolina House of Representatives | ||
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Preceded by Willie B. McMahand, Sr. | Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 26th district 1994–2010 | Succeeded by Eric Bikas |
South Carolina Senate | ||
Preceded by | Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 2nd district 2016–present | Incumbent |
External links
- Richard Cash for Senate
This article about a South Carolina politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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