- GOP Rep. Tom Rice lost his South Carolina primary to Russell Fry, a Trump-endorsed candidate.
- Trump called Fry a "pro-Life, pro-God, pro-Gun" candidate in his February endorsement.
- Rice was vilified by Trump after voting to impeach the former president over the Capitol riot.
GOP Rep. Tom Rice, who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot, was trashed in his primary race by his Trump-endorsed challenger.
Rice was up against South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry. According to NPR, the Associated Press called Fry's race at 11.01 p.m. EST on Tuesday. At the time, Fry had 51.1% of the votes, while Rice trailed behind at a distant 24.6%.
In his endorsement of Fry in February, Trump called Rice a "coward who abandoned his constituents by caving to Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Left" while lauding Fry as a "leading fighter on Election Integrity." Trump also described Fry as being "pro-Life, pro-God, pro-Gun, and very importantly, pro LOW Taxes."
Trump rejoiced on Truth Social at Rice's loss, writing that Fry's win over "Impeach mater Tom Rice" was the "biggest News of the evening."
In January, Rice joined nine Republican colleagues in voting to impeach Trump over the Capitol riot. Following the vote, Rice received death threats during his campaign, per Politico. His wife, Wrenzie Rice, told the outlet that she no longer felt safe living in South Carolina, where her husband has served for five terms.
Earlier this month, Rice said he didn't regret voting to impeach Trump. He has also claimed that Trump is attempting to turn the GOP into a "bunch of yes-men loyalists."
Per Politico, Rice was running in a field against six challengers, who all cited his vote to impeach Trump as a mark of disloyalty to the party.
Separately, Nancy Mace — another GOP candidate who provoked Trump's ire by speaking out against him — won her South Carolina primary race on Tuesday against her Trump-backed challenger, Katie Arrington.