William Timmons
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 4th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byTrey Gowdy
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 6th district
In office
November 14, 2016 – November 9, 2018
Preceded byMike Fair
Succeeded byDwight Loftis
Personal details
Born
William Richardson Timmons IV

(1984-04-30) April 30, 1984
Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Sarah Anderson
​
(m. 2019)​
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
University of South Carolina (MA, JD)
New York University (MS)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Air Force
Years of service2018–present (South Carolina Air National Guard)
RankCaptain
UnitUnited States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps

William Richardson Timmons IV (born April 30, 1984) is an American attorney, entrepreneur and politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 4th congressional district since 2019. His district is in the heart of the Upstate and includes Greenville, Spartanburg, and most of their suburbs. A member of the Republican Party, Timmons served as the South Carolina state senator from the 6th district from 2016 to 2018.[1][2]

Early life and education

A native of Greenville, Timmons attended George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, where he earned a degree in international affairs and political science. He earned a Juris Doctor and a master's degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina.

Timmons is a lifelong member of Christ Church in Greenville, and serves as a Captain in the South Carolina Air National Guard.

Timmons graduated from New York University in May 2021 with a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy.

Early career

Timmons spent four years working for the 13th Circuit solicitor's office. In this role, he focused on serving victims of domestic violence and helped create a central court for all domestic violence cases in Greenville County.[3]

Timmons owns Swamp Rabbit CrossFit and Soul Yoga, and previously operated the law firm Timmons & Company, LLC.

In 2016, Timmons challenged longtime state senator Mike Fair in the Republican primary for a Greenville-area district. He finished first in the primary with 49.5% of the vote, fewer than 100 votes shy of winning the nomination outright.[4] He then defeated Fair in the runoff with 65% of the vote[5] and faced no major-party opposition in the general election.[6]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

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]

2020

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

2022

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]

Tenure

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 assignments

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2022[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 165,607 90.81
N/A Write-Ins 16,758 9.19
Total votes 182,365 100.0
Republican primary results, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 24,800 52.69
Republican Mark Burns 11,214 23.83
Republican Michael Mike LaPierre 8,029 17.06
Republican George Abuzeid 3,024 6.42
Total votes 47,067 100.0
South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2020[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 222,126 61.61
Democratic Kim Nelson 133,023 36.89
Constitution Michael Chandler 5,090 1.41
N/A Write-Ins 311 0.09
Margin of victory 83,702 23.4
Total votes 360,550 100.0
Republican hold
South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2018[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 145,321 59.57
Democratic Brandon Brown 89,182 36.56
American Guy Furay 9,203 3.77
N/A Write-Ins 244 0.10
Margin of victory 56,139 23.01
Total votes 243,950 100.0
Republican hold
Republican primary runoff results, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 37,096 54.29
Republican Lee Bright 31,236 45.71
Total votes 68,332 100.0
Republican primary results, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lee Bright 16,742 24.95
Republican William Timmons 12,885 19.21
Republican Dan Hamilton 12,494 18.62
Republican Josh Kimbrell 7,465 11.13
Republican James Epley 5,386 8.03
Republican Stephen Brown 5,078 7.57
Republican Shannon Pierce 2,442 3.64
Republican Mark Burns 1,662 2.48
Republican Claude Schmid 1,414 2.11
Republican Dan Albert 510 0.76
Republican John Marshall Mosser 457 0.68
Republican Justin David Sanders 354 0.53
Republican Barry Bell 200 0.3
Total votes 67,089 100.0
South Carolina State Senate, District 6 general election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 31,732 85.10
Constitution Roy G. Magnuson 5,556 14.90
Total votes 37,288 100.0
South Carolina State Senate, District 6 Republican primary runoff, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William Timmons 6,244 65.30
Republican Michael Fair 3,318 34.70
Total votes 9,562 100.0
South Carolina State Senate, District 6 Republican primary, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Fair 3,578 36.30
Republican William Timmons 4,880 49.51
Republican Johnny Edwards 1,399 14.19
Total votes 9,857 100.0

Personal life

On July 17, 2019, Timmons married his wife, Sarah, on the balcony of the U.S. Capitol. Senator Tim Scott officiated.[31]

In response to posts on social media, Timmons acknowledged in July 2022 that he and his wife were working on their marriage after "going through tough times" in recent months. He said other allegations were false and mostly defamatory and asked for "privacy and prayers." He told his constituents "don't be distracted" and emphasized that his personal life does not affect his congressional service.[32]

Sarah filed for marital separation in mid-November 2022. In a statement provided to The Greenville News, the couple said they "will continue to remain close friends" and "respectfully ask for privacy".[33] Divorce proceedings can begin a year after separation per South Carolina law.[34]

Timmons is a Protestant.[35]

References

  1. ↑ "William Timmons". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  2. ↑ "William Timmons". SC State House website. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  3. ↑ "William Timmons for Congress".
  4. ↑ "Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 06 - R Primary Race - Jun 14, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 06 - R Runoff Race - Jun 28, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 06 Race - Nov 08, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  7. ↑ Lovegrove, Jamie (May 5, 2018). "In crowded GOP primary to replace Trey Gowdy, conservatives vie for Trump voters". The Post & Courier. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ Lovegrove, Jamie (December 18, 2019). "SC's 7 congressmen split along party lines as House votes to impeach Trump". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  9. ↑ "South Carolina Election Results: Fourth House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  10. ↑ contact@scytl.com, scytl. "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  11. ↑ Brown, Kirk (November 6, 2018). "William Timmons moves into Trey Gowdy's seat in SC's 4th Congressional District". The Greenville News. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  12. ↑ "2020 Statewide General Election Night Reporting - Results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  13. ↑ "2022 Statewide Primaries". South Carolina Election Commission. June 20, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  14. ↑ Hussion, Patrick (November 2, 2022). "South Carolina: Candidates for U.S. 4th Congressional District". WYFF. Retrieved November 6, 2022. Timmons is the only candidate on the ballot ... Independent write-in candidate, Lee Turner, is staging a strong campaign.
  15. ↑ "Rep. Timmons Cosponsors his First Legislation". Timmons U.S. House website (Press release). January 28, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Timmons Introduces Bill to Counter China's Efforts to Expand 5G Influence". Timmons U.S. House website (Press release). February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  17. ↑ "H.J.Res.86 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of consecutive terms that a Member of Congress may serve". congress.gov. Library of Congress. March 5, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  18. ↑ Lovegrove, Jamie (December 18, 2019). "SC's 7 congressmen split along party lines as House votes to impeach Trump". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  19. ↑ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  20. ↑ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  22. ↑ Diaz, Daniella (December 11, 2020). "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  23. ↑ Brown, Kirk (January 4, 2021). "SC congressmen join GOP effort to oppose Biden election results, but not Sen. Tim Scott". Greenville News. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  24. ↑ Brown, Kirk (January 7, 2021). "Duncan, Timmons and 3 other SC congressmen voted to object to Electoral College results". Greenville News. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  25. ↑ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  26. 1 2 "William Timmons Committees and Caucuses". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Official Results: U.S. House of Representatives, District 4". South Carolina Election Commission. November 17, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Unofficial Results". 2020 Statewide General Elections November 3, 2020. South Carolina Election Commission. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Unofficial Results". 2018 Statewide General Elections November 6, 2018. South Carolina Election Commission. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  31. ↑ LaFleur, Elizabeth (August 2, 2019). "Rep. William Timmons marries on Senate balcony as Sen. Tim Scott officiates". Greenville News. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  32. ↑ Houck, Taggart (July 19, 2022). "South Carolina Congressman William Timmons addresses rumors on social media regarding his personal life". WYFF-TV. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  33. ↑ Connor, Eric (November 21, 2022). "Wife of Upstate SC congressman Timmons files for divorce". The Post and Courier. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  34. ↑ Chhetri, Devyani (November 18, 2022). "Congressman William Timmons and wife Sarah Timmons file for separation". Greenville News. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023. p. 11.
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