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Rex Rice
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 2nd district
Assumed office
November 14, 2016
Preceded by Larry A. Martin
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 26th district
In office
1994–2010
Preceded byWillie B. McMahand, Sr.
Succeeded byEric Bikas
Personal details
Born (1957-05-09) May 9, 1957 (age 66)
Pensacola, Florida
Political party Republican
Spouse
Ruth Britts
​
( m. 1982)​
Children2; Toni Rice, Meredith Rice
Parent(s)Frank and Claire Rice
Residence Easley, South Carolina
Alma mater Anderson College
University of South Carolina
OccupationPolitician, businessman

Rex F. Rice (born May 9, 1957) is an American politician. He has represented South Carolina Senate District 2 in the South Carolina Senate since 2016. [1] Previously, Rice served House District 26 in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 to 2010. He is a member of the Republican Party. [2]

Political Career

S.C. House of Representatives

Elections

Rice was first elected to represent South Carolina State House District 26 in 1994. He did not seek re-election in 2010, instead opting to run for South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District when Gresham Barrett stepped down to run for Governor of South Carolina in the 2010 election. Rice would lose the primary to Jeff Duncan. [3] [4] [5]

S.C. Senate

Elections

2012 election
Further information: 2012 South Carolina Senate election § District 2

Rice first ran for Senate District 2 in 2012. After initially being decertified from the ballot, [6] he was allowed as a petition candidate. He lost to the incumbent, Larry Martin. [7] [8]

2016 election
Further information: 2016 South Carolina Senate election § District 2

In 2016, Rice formally entered the Republican primary. Since no candidate received a majority of the votes, it went to a head-to-head runoff between Martin and Rice. This time, in an upset, Rice defeated the incumbent. [9] [4] [10] [11] The primary run-off was especially contentious, with dark money ads donors funding attack ads. [12] In the general, he ran uncontested and was elected to the South Carolina Senate to represent S.C. Senate District 2.

2020-2024 elections
Further information: 2020 South Carolina Senate election § District 2, and 2024 South Carolina Senate election § District 2

In 2020, Rice ran in an uncontested race. In 2024, Rice will again go uncontested. If reelected, it will be his third term.

Tenure

Following redistricting after the 2020 US Census, S.C. Senate District 2 covers most of Pickens County. [1]

2020 Census Redistricting
South Carolina is divided into state Senate Districts, following the US 2020 Census.
All S.C. State Senate Districts, following the redistricting after the 2020 Census.
South Carolina State Senate District 2, consisting of Pickens County.
South Carolina State Senate District 2, consisting of Pickens County

As of April 2024, Rice serves on the Corrections and Penology Committee, the Education Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, and the Transportation Committee. [1]

Since 2022, he has opposed efforts to pass a hate crime bill in South Carolina. [13]

In February 2023, he filed a resolution to limit congressional terms. [14] This would make South Carolina one of 34 states that would need to call a national convention to amend the US Constitution.

In November 2023, he sponsored Constitutional Carry legislation to relax gun control laws by lowering the age of carrying a handgun and getting rid of requiring permits, training, and background checks. [15]

Political Views

Conservatism

Rice is a fiscal conservative. [16] Rice believes education and environment issues should be left entirely to the states. For example, he advocates for the repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act. [17]

Reproductive Rights

Rice supports a near-total ban on abortion, without exceptions for rape or incest. [18] [19]

Personal Life

Rice lives in Easley, South Carolina with his wife Ruth. He owns a construction company. [16] He is Presbyterian. He graduated from Anderson University and the University of South Carolina. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "South Carolina Legislature Online – Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "SC - Election Results". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Staff, ABC Columbia Site (June 29, 2016). "Sen. Larry Martin Loses Re-Election Bid". ABC Columbia. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  5. ^ "South Carolina 3rd District Race Profile - Election 2010 - The New York Times". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "At a glance: Primary election confusion sorted out". WYFF. June 8, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "SC - Election Results". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  8. ^ "Woman breaks into South Carolina's all-male Senate". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Barnett, Ron (June 29, 2016). "Expert: Upstate loses political clout with Martin's loss". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  10. ^ Self, Jamie (June 28, 2016). "4 SC Senate incumbents fall in runoffs". The State. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Latest: Senate incumbents defeated in primary runoffs". AP News. June 29, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Smith, Tim (October 10, 2018). "Statehouse corruption probe: Upstate senator was victim of veiled attacks, grand jury says". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Chhetri, Devyani (March 2, 2022). "Could the lack of a hate crimes bill hurt job growth in South Carolina?". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Selleck, Stacey (February 7, 2023). "South Carolina Senator Rex Rice Files Resolution to Term Limit Congress - U.S. Term Limits". Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  15. ^ Llerena, Rey (November 14, 2023). "Gun safety organization holds meeting to discuss potential new 'Constitutional carry' bill". WYFF. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  16. ^ a b South Carolina General Assembly (May 27, 2010). "H. 5039: Honorable Rex Fontaine Rice". SCStateHouse.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  17. ^ Adcox, Seanna (May 26, 2010). "GOP candidates for SC 3rd District blast Obama". Spartanburg Herald Journal. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  18. ^ Paquette, Danielle (May 23, 2023). "As S.C. abortion vote nears, GOP women rebuke the men: 'It's always about control'". Washington Post. ISSN  0190-8286. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "Larry Martin, Rex Rice Debate Issues". Easley, SC Patch. October 24, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2024.


South Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
Willie B. McMahand, Sr.
 Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 26th district
1994–2010 		Succeeded by
Eric Bikas
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 2nd district
2016–present 		Incumbent

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