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Embattled U.S. congressman William Timmons ramped up his criticism of South Carolina Freedom Caucus chairman Adam Morgan this week, accusing his GOP primary rival for the Palmetto State’s fourth congressional district of trying to imprison rape and incest victims who choose to have abortions.
Timmons has previously slammed Morgan on this issue … but now he’s leveling the criticism via a massive television advertising buy across the Upstate.
“Just watch as (Morgan) raises his hand to vote for legislation that would send rape and incest victims to jail for up to two years who ended their pregnancy,” the ad’s female narrator noted. “Adam, being pro-life doesn’t mean you hurt women by jailing the victims of rape and incest.”
“Your vote was shameful,” the narrator added.
Here is Timmons’ spot …
(Click to view)
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“Adam Morgan is the biggest fraud running for Congress in America,” Timmons’ spokeswoman Lauren Tomlinson said in a statement accompanying the release of the advertisement. “He is unserious about issues that Upstate voters care about. Adam’s brazen attempt to get social media clicks and punish victims of rape and incest is not pro-life. Adam Morgan should be ashamed of his vote to imprison these women. The more conservative women learn about Adam Morgan, the more they dislike him.”
Morgan has previously denied voting to imprison rape and incest victims – referring to the allegation as “completely inaccurate.”
“I’ve never voted for giving women criminal prosecution,” he said at a recent campaign forum sponsored by the Greenville County Republican Women.
In a statement issued in response to the advertisement, Morgan defended his record and accused Timmons of resorting to desperate measures in an effort to preserve his power.
“I have consistently supported life,” Morgan said. “My voting record reflects a commitment to protecting women who have been victimized by rape and incest. I’ve been consistently endorsed by South Carolina Citizens for Life and was even targeted by Planned Parenthood because of my lifelong support of innocent human life. This is what failing establishment politicians do when they are losing.”
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RELATED | ADAM MORGAN ENDORSED BY JOHN WARREN
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Morgan, 35, is chairman of the S.C. Freedom Caucus and has represented S.C. House District 20 in Greenville County since November 2018. A Christian music producer, he and his family reside in Taylors, S.C.
Timmons, 40, hails from a fifth-generation, über-wealthy, über-influential family in Greenville, S.C. His great-grandfather – William R. Timmons Sr. – built an empire in the Upstate beginning in the mid-1920s, focusing on the real estate, trucking and insurance industries. The family – which helped establish the city’s civic and philanthropic communities – is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
As noted, Timmons is exceedingly vulnerable in the aftermath of his ‘Days of our Congressman’ saga – a self-induced implosion in his personal life that spit out damaging headlines for months on end. Things have gotten so bad for him he’s been forced to use tax money in an effort to boost his tattered image.
Timmons and Morgan face off against each other on June 11, 2024 in the Republican primary election for the fourth congressional district, a seat Timmons has held since 2019.
Abortion has been a dominant issue in Palmetto politics ever since the U.S. supreme court returned authority over the issue to the states in 2022. In addition to figuring prominently in the Morgan-Timmons race, it is also at the heart of a contested Democratic primary for the S.C. Senate between incumbent Dick Harpootlian and state representative Russell Ott.
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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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