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As the battle for South Carolina’s staunchly Republican fourth congressional district heats up, the two candidates vying for this seat are releasing their financial disclosures.
According to data submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) this week, third-term incumbent William Timmons reported raking in nearly $300,000 during the most recent fundraising period – from January to March 2024. For the two-year election cycle, Timmons has raised more than $807,000 in his bid for a fourth term – although it’s worth pointing out only around $186,000 of that total came from individual contributors.
A whopping $621,450 – or 76.9 percent of Timmons’ incoming contributions – came from political action committees.
Timmons had operating expenditures of just over $109,000 during the latest quarter – and has spent nearly $556,000 during the current election cycle. Obviously, that total does not include the taxpayer-funded propaganda his congressional office has been carpeting the district with over the last few months.
Since taking office in 2019, Timmons has spent a whopping $831,000 of public money on political propaganda.
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Timmons has also benefited from his vast personal wealth. According to FEC filings, he pumped another $500,000 into his candidacy in the form of a loan during the latest quarter – bringing his loan total for the election cycle to $1.35 million.
Timmons, 39, hails from a fifth-generation, über-wealthy, über-influential family in Greenville, S.C. His great-grandfather – William R. Timmons Sr. – amassed a fortune in the Upstate beginning in the mid-1920s, building an empire in the real estate, trucking and insurance industries. His family – which helped establish the city’s civic and philanthropic communities – is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
That money hasn’t bought class, however, as Timmons’ infamous ‘Days of our Congressman’ saga has aptly demonstrated.
Thanks to the loan – and all of the special interest contributions – Timmons entered the pivotal second quarter of 2024 with more than $790,000 cash on hand.
As for Timmons’ GOP rival, S.C. Freedom Caucus chairman Adam Morgan, his campaign reported raising more than $250,000 during the first quarter of 2024 and has an estimated $151,000 on hand. Morgan is “on pace to be the most well-funded challenger Timmons has ever faced,” according to a release from his campaign.
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“My message of limited government and representing my constituents rather than special interests and lobbyists has resonated with conservatives across the district and the country,” Morgan said in a statement announcing the numbers. “I’m honored to have the support of hard-working South Carolinians and Americans in my race for Congress.”
Morgan said he anticipated raising another $300,000 prior to the GOP primary election.
Partisan primary races in South Carolina are scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Morgan and Timmons are the only two GOP candidates who filed for this seat, and the winner of their primary election is all but assured of prevailing in the general election come November.
As we reported earlier this week, Timmons and Morgan are scheduled to meet at high noon (a.k.a. 12:00 p.m. EDT) at the Poinsett Club in downtown Greenville, S.C. on Monday, April 29, 2024. There, they will participate in a forum sponsored by the Greenville County Republican Women.
Count on our media outlet to report on developments from that event – including rumors of a surprise guest appearing in the audience.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
Would it be possible to remove the “his head blew up like a watermelon? I tried to not look at it when I opened the website. I don’t want to read that first thing in the morning. It makes me nauseated. Thank for any consideration you might give to my request.