William Timmons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's4th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Trey Gowdy |
| Member of theSouth Carolina Senate from the 6th district | |
| In office November 14, 2016 – November 9, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Fair |
| Succeeded by | Dwight Loftis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Richardson Timmons IV (1984-04-30)April 30, 1984 (age 41) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | George Washington University (BA) University of South Carolina (MA,JD) New York University (MS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 2018–present (Guard) |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps |
William Richardson Timmons IV (born April 30, 1984) is anAmerican politician, prosecutor, andAir Force officer serving as theU.S. representative forSouth Carolina's 4th congressional district since 2019. His district is in the heart ofthe Upstate and includesGreenville,Spartanburg, and most of their suburbs. A member of theRepublican Party, Timmons served as aSouth Carolina state senator from 2016 to 2018.[1][2]
Timmons is a member of theHouse Oversight Committee's 2025 Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, to support the associatedDepartment of Government Efficiency.[3]
In high school atChrist Church Episcopal School, Timmons was the 2001 South Carolina Player of the Year in tennis and won an individual state title in 2002.[4]
A native of Greenville, Timmons attendedGeorge Washington University'sElliott School of International Affairs, where he earned a degree in international affairs and political science. While enrolled, Timmons played Division I tennis.[4] He received a partial scholarship all four years.[citation needed]
Timmons earned aJuris Doctor and a master's degree in international studies from theUniversity of South Carolina.[5] He also earned a Master of Science degree in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy from NYU.[6]
Timmons spent four years working for the13th Circuitsolicitor's office. In this role, he focused on serving victims of domestic violence and helped create a central court for alldomestic violence cases in Greenville County.[7] As Assistant Solicitor, Timmons prosecuted a variety of offenses during his legal career, including domestic abuse, white-collar crime, and murder.[5]
In 2016, Timmons challenged longtime state senatorMike Fair in the Republican primary for a Greenville-area district. He finished first in the primary with 49.5% of the vote, fewer than 100 votes shy of winning the nomination outright.[8] He then defeated Fair in the runoff with 65% of the vote[9] and faced no major-party opposition in the general election.[10]
Timmons was elected to replace retiring Republican incumbentTrey Gowdy inSouth Carolina's 4th congressional district. His campaign slogan was "Washington is broken."[11][12] On June 10, Timmons placed second in a 13-candidate primary–the real contest in this heavily Republican district–receiving 19.2% of the vote. On June 28, 2018, Timmons defeated former state senatorLee Bright in the runoff with 54.2% of the vote. He did not have to give up his state senate seat to run for Congress; South Carolina state senators serve four-year terms that run concurrently with presidential elections.
Timmons defeated Brandon Brown in the November general election with 59.5% of the vote.[13][14] He became one of the youngest U.S. representatives from South Carolina since 1972.[15]
Timmons defeated Democratic nominee Kim Nelson with 61.6% of the vote.[16]
In a four-candidate Republican primary, Timmons prevailed with 52.7% of the vote;[17] he was the only candidate on the general election ballot as his Democratic opponent dropped out in August.[18]
Timmons faced state representativeAdam Morgan in the Republican Primary held on June 11, 2024 and won.[19] Timmons is endorsed by 2024 Republican nominee for president,Donald Trump.[20] Morgan, chair of the SCFreedom Caucus, was endorsed by U.S. representativeMatt Gaetz.[21]
Timmons faced Mark Hackett, Constitution Party nominee and Democratic Party nominee, Spartanburg County Democratic Party chair Kathryn Harvey.[22][23] Timmons won re-election on November 5, 2024.[24]
Timmons has filed paperwork for a reelection campaign in 2026.[25] He faces Democratic challenger Courtney McClain.[26]
Timmons was sworn into office on January 3, 2019, amid a government shutdown. He cosponsored legislation to require Congress to balance the budget, defundPlanned Parenthood, supportGold Star Families, strengthen national defense, and promoteschool choice.[27]
Timmons serves on theFinancial Services Committee, where he introduced legislation seeking to counter China's efforts to expand its 5G influence in countries receiving assistance from international financial institutions. He was elected by his classmates to represent the freshman class on theRepublican Steering Committee.[28]
He introduced legislation proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of consecutive terms that a member of Congress may serve (H.J.Res.86).[29]
Timmons supported PresidentDonald Trump during his first impeachment, saying of the process, "It is very, very, very broken" (referring to his 2018 campaign slogan "Washington is broken"). He added that he thought the process would be fair in the Senate and called the opposition to impeachment "bipartisan."[30]
In December 2020, Timmons was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election, in whichJoe Biden defeated[31] Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lackedstanding underArticle III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[32][33][34]
In January 2021, Timmons announced he would object to the certification of Biden as president.[35] When Congress reconvened after thestorming of the United States Capitol, Timmons voted to object to theElectoral College results.[36]
In July 2024, Timmons questioned former Secret Service DirectorKimberly Cheatle at aHouse Oversight Committee hearing. His comments gained national attention as Cheatle resigned the next day following fiery questioning from congressional leaders.[37]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 206,916 | 59.73 | |
| Democratic | Kathryn Harvey | 128,976 | 37.23 | |
| Constitution | Mark Hackett | 9,779 | 2.82 | |
| N/A | Write-Ins | 743 | 0.21 | |
| Total votes | 346,414 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 36,533 | 51.6 | |
| Republican | Adam Morgan | 34,269 | 48.4 | |
| Total votes | 70,802 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 165,607 | 90.81 | |
| N/A | Write-Ins | 16,758 | 9.19 | |
| Total votes | 182,365 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 24,800 | 52.69 | |
| Republican | Mark Burns | 11,214 | 23.83 | |
| Republican | Michael Mike LaPierre | 8,029 | 17.06 | |
| Republican | George Abuzeid | 3,024 | 6.42 | |
| Total votes | 47,067 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 222,126 | 61.61 | ||
| Democratic | Kim Nelson | 133,023 | 36.89 | ||
| Constitution | Michael Chandler | 5,090 | 1.41 | ||
| N/A | Write-Ins | 311 | 0.09 | ||
| Margin of victory | 83,702 | 23.4 | |||
| Total votes | 360,550 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 145,321 | 59.57 | ||
| Democratic | Brandon Brown | 89,182 | 36.56 | ||
| American | Guy Furay | 9,203 | 3.77 | ||
| N/A | Write-Ins | 244 | 0.10 | ||
| Margin of victory | 56,139 | 23.01 | |||
| Total votes | 243,950 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 37,096 | 54.29 | |
| Republican | Lee Bright | 31,236 | 45.71 | |
| Total votes | 68,332 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lee Bright | 16,742 | 24.95 | |
| Republican | William Timmons | 12,885 | 19.21 | |
| Republican | Dan Hamilton | 12,494 | 18.62 | |
| Republican | Josh Kimbrell | 7,465 | 11.13 | |
| Republican | James Epley | 5,386 | 8.03 | |
| Republican | Stephen Brown | 5,078 | 7.57 | |
| Republican | Shannon Pierce | 2,442 | 3.64 | |
| Republican | Mark Burns | 1,662 | 2.48 | |
| Republican | Claude Schmid | 1,414 | 2.11 | |
| Republican | Dan Albert | 510 | 0.76 | |
| Republican | John Marshall Mosser | 457 | 0.68 | |
| Republican | Justin David Sanders | 354 | 0.53 | |
| Republican | Barry Bell | 200 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 67,089 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 31,732 | 85.10 | |
| Constitution | Roy G. Magnuson | 5,556 | 14.90 | |
| Total votes | 37,288 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 6,244 | 65.30 | |
| Republican | Michael Fair | 3,318 | 34.70 | |
| Total votes | 9,562 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Timmons | 4,880 | 49.51 | |
| Republican | Michael Fair | 3,578 | 36.30 | |
| Republican | Johnny Edwards | 1,399 | 14.19 | |
| Total votes | 9,857 | 100.0 | ||
On July 17, 2019, Timmons married his wife, Sarah, on the balcony of the U.S. Capitol. SenatorTim Scott officiated.[43]
In response to posts on social media, Timmons acknowledged in July 2022 that he and his wife were working on their marriage after "going through tough times" in recent months. He said other allegations were false and mostlydefamatory and asked for "privacy and prayers." He told his constituents "don't be distracted" and emphasized that his personal life does not affect his congressional service.[44]
Sarah filed for marital separation in mid-November 2022. In a statement provided toThe Greenville News, the couple said they "will continue to remain close friends" and "respectfully ask for privacy".[45] Divorce proceedings can begin a year after separation per South Carolina law.[46] Timmons was divorced by June 2024 and said they are "still on very good terms".[47]
Timmons is a captain in theAir National Guard.[48] He has served since 2018 as aJAG officer assigned to the263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.[49]
He is aProtestant.[50]
Timmons is the only candidate on the ballot ... Independent write-in candidate, Lee Turner, is staging a strong campaign.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's 4th congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 234th | Succeeded by |
