Voters Return Gowdy to Congress

U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy handily won re-election to Congress on Tuesday night with nearly 65 percent of the vote.

Based on unofficial vote tallies, the freshman Republican congressman received 171,505 votes to 89,094 votes for Democrat Deb Morrow, and 3,341 votes for Jeff Sumerel

It was a night for incumbents. All six of South Carolina's Congressmen won re-election. Tim Scott (R-1), Jeff Duncan (R-3), and Gowdy all won with 60 percent (or more) of the vote. Joe Wilson (R-2) and James Clyburn (D-6) ran unopposed. Mick Mulvaney (R-2) won his race over Joyce Knott 55-45 percent.

The first occupant of the seat for the new House District 7 will be Tom Rice (R), who defeated Gloria Tinubu by a margin of 55-45 percent.

Gowdy was first elected in 2010 to represent South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, which covers most of Greenville and Spartanburg counties. He was part of the first wave of “Tea Party” candidates to win federal office.

Since arriving in the House, Gowdy has quickly established himself as one of the most conservative members in the entire body. He achieved national prominence in the summer of 2011 when he and several other freshman congressman refused to lower their demands during the debt ceiling fight. Gowdy returned to the spotlight in 2012 as one of the lead questioners in the House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the Fast and Furious scandal.

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