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

South Carolina House of Representatives

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

Elections

2022

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

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

Syria

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

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

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Fry was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[21]

Israel

Fry voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[22][23]

Electoral history

South Carolina House of Representatives District 106
YearCandidateVotesPctCandidateVotesPctCandidateVotesPctCandidateVotesPct
2015 Special Republican PrimaryRussell Fry1,15244.8%Tyler Servant85633.3%Roy Sprinkle37414.5%Sanford Cox Graves1927.5%
2015 Special Republican Primary Runoff[24]Russell Fry1,73859.8%Tyler Servant1,16740.2%
2015 Special General Election[25]Russell Fry17,84199.5%
2016 General Election[26]Russell Fry (i)17,841100.0%
2018 General Election[27]Russell Fry (i)13,19868.4%Robin Gause6,08831.5%Other/Write-in140.1%
United States House of Representatives, South Carolina’s 7th congressional district
YearCandidateVotesPctCandidateVotesPctCandidateVotesPctCandidateVotesPct
2022 Republican PrimaryRussell Fry43,50951.1%Tom Rice (i)20,92724.6%Barbara Arthur10,48112.3%Ken Richardson6,0217.1%
2022 General ElectionRussell Fry164,16064.8%Daryl W. Scott88,77935.0%

Personal life

Fry is a Baptist.[28] He is married and has one son.

References

  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. ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). “Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no”. The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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)
  24. ^ “SC – Election Results – House Dist 106 Runoff”. www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  25. ^ “SC – Election Results – House Dist 106 General”. www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  26. ^ “South Carolina 106th District State House Results: Russell Fry Wins”. The New York Times. 1 August 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  27. ^ “Election Night Reporting – SC House Dist 106 General”. www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  28. ^ “Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress” (PDF). Pew Research Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-03-16.

External links

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
379th		Succeeded by


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Fry_(politician)