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In SC, Rep. Rice hopes impeachment vote doesn't eclipse 2022
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In SC, Rep. Rice hopes impeachment vote doesn't eclipse 2022

U.S. Rep. Tom Rice says that he hopes his vote this year to impeach President Donald Trump won’t be enough to overshadow his other accomplishments as he seeks a sixth term.

Politics

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Launching what he considers his most difficult reelection fight to date, U.S. Rep. Tom Rice says that voters may disagree with his vote this year to impeach President Donald Trump, but he hopes that it won't be enough to overshadow his other accomplishments for South Carolina's 7th District.

“I know that I did the right thing, I’m happy with where I am, and I’ll take the consequences of it,” Rice told The Associated Press in an interview this week, ahead of his official campaign launch for a sixth term.

“Even maybe some of them that didn’t like my vote, I think they’ll appreciate my honesty and my effectiveness, and I can win them back over. But we’ll see.”

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On Monday, Rice will take that argument directly to voters in all eight counties of the 7th District, which stretches across South Carolina's northeastern corner. With agricultural, industrial and commercial areas, its heart is Myrtle Beach, one of the focuses of the state's multibillion-dollar tourism industry and a burgeoning base for some of South Carolina's most conservative voters.

The framework of Rice's tough reelect was forged in January, when he was one of 10 House Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol. Trump was not convicted as a result of the Senate trial.

The vote came as a surprise, as the Myrtle Beach congressman had always been a consistent supporter of the former president, representing an area that voted heavily for Trump in both presidential elections. Long a reliable backer of Trump, who campaigned with him, Rice voted 94% of the time in favor of Trump-backed legislation, according to FiveThirtyEight — the highest percentage among South Carolina’s delegation at that time.

A day after his vote, Rice told AP “it hurts my heart” to have gone against the president, but he decided to back impeachment after seeing what he characterized as Trump’s inaction during the riot.