William Timmons (politician)

Timmons was elected to replace retiring Republican incumbent Trey Gowdy in South Carolina's 4th congressional district. His campaign slogan was "Washington is broken."[7][8] 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.[9][10] He became one of the youngest U.S. representatives from South Carolina since 1972.[11]

Timmons defeated Democratic nominee Kim Nelson with 61.6% of the vote.[12]

In a four-candidate Republican primary, Timmons prevailed with 52.7% of the vote;[13] he was the only candidate on the general election ballot as his Democratic opponent dropped out in August.[14]

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.[15]

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.[16]

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).[17]

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."[18]

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[19] 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.[20][21][22]

In January 2021, Timmons announced he would object to the certification of Biden as president.[23] When Congress reconvened after the storming of the United States Capitol, Timmons voted to object to the Electoral College results.[24]

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.[25]

• Committee on Financial Services[26]
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy
  • Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion
• Committee on Oversight and Accountability[26]
  • Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation
  • Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce

• Republican Study Committee[27]