Russell Fry (politician)

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]

Russell Fry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 7th district
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
Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBronwen Fry
Children1
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA)
Charleston School of Law (JD)
WebsiteHouse website

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

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, 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]

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]

Electoral history
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[22] Russell Fry 1,738 59.8% Tyler Servant 1,167 40.2%
2015 Special General Election[23] Russell Fry 17,841 99.5%
2016 General Election[24] Russell Fry (i) 17,841 100.0%
2018 General Election[25] 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

Fry is a Baptist.[26] 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. "SC - Election Results - House Dist 106 Runoff". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  23. "SC - Election Results - House Dist 106 General". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  24. "South Carolina 106th District State House Results: Russell Fry Wins". The New York Times. 1 August 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  25. "Election Night Reporting - SC House Dist 106 General". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  26. "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-03-16.
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