William Timmons (politician)

William Richardson Timmons IV (born April 30, 1984) is an American politician, prosecutor, and Air Force officer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. His district is in the heart of the Upstate and includes Greenville, Spartanburg, and most of their suburbs. A member of the Republican Party, Timmons served as a South Carolina state senator from 2016 to 2018.

Timmons is a member of the House Oversight Committee's 2025 Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, to support the associated Department of Government Efficiency.

Early life and education

In high school at Christ Church Episcopal School, Timmons was the 2001 South Carolina Player of the Year in tennis and won an individual state title in 2002.

A native of Greenville, Timmons attended George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, where he earned a degree in international affairs and political science. While enrolled, Timmons played Division I tennis. He received a partial scholarship all four years.

Timmons earned a Juris Doctor and a master's degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina. He also earned a Master of Science degree in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy from NYU.

Early career

Timmons spent four years working for the 13th Circuit solicitor's office. In this role, he focused on serving victims of domestic violence and helped create a central court for all domestic violence cases in Greenville County. As Assistant Solicitor, Timmons prosecuted a variety of offenses during his legal career, including domestic abuse, white-collar crime, and murder.

In 2016, Timmons challenged longtime state senator Mike 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. He then defeated Fair in the runoff with 65% of the vote and faced no major-party opposition in the general election.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

Timmons was elected to replace retiring Republican incumbent Trey Gowdy in South Carolina's 4th congressional district. His campaign slogan was "Washington is broken." 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 senator Lee 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. He became one of the youngest U.S. representatives from South Carolina since 1972.

2020

Timmons defeated Democratic nominee Kim Nelson with 61.6% of the vote.

2022

In a four-candidate Republican primary, Timmons prevailed with 52.7% of the vote; he was the only candidate on the general election ballot as his Democratic opponent dropped out in August.

2024

Timmons faced state representative Adam Morgan in the Republican Primary held on June 11, 2024 and won. Timmons is endorsed by 2024 Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump. Morgan, chair of the SC Freedom Caucus, was endorsed by U.S. representative Matt Gaetz.

Timmons faced Mark Hackett, Constitution Party nominee and Democratic Party nominee, Spartanburg County Democratic Party chair Kathryn Harvey. Timmons won re-election on November 5, 2024.

Tenure

Timmons was sworn into office on January 3, 2019, amid a government shutdown. He cosponsored legislation to require Congress to balance the budget, defund Planned Parenthood, support Gold Star Families, strengthen national defense, and promote school choice.

Timmons serves on the Financial 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 the Republican Steering Committee.

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).

Timmons supported President Donald 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."

In December 2020, Timmons was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.

In January 2021, Timmons announced he would object to the certification of Biden as president. When Congress reconvened after the storming of the United States Capitol, Timmons voted to object to the Electoral College results.

Timmons was among the 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House. The bill, to enact spending cuts and raise the debt ceiling until January 2025, still was signed into law.

In July 2024, Timmons questioned former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at a House Oversight Committee hearing. His comments gained national attention as Cheatle resigned the next day following fiery questioning from congressional leaders.

Committee assignments

*Committee on Financial Services
** Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy
** Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion
* Committee on Oversight and Accountability
** Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation
** Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce

Caucus memberships

* Republican Study Committee

Electoral history

Personal life

On July 17, 2019, Timmons married his wife, Sarah, on the balcony of the U.S. Capitol. Senator Tim Scott officiated.

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 mostly defamatory 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.

Sarah filed for marital separation in mid-November 2022. In a statement provided to ''The Greenville News'', the couple said they "will continue to remain close friends" and "respectfully ask for privacy". Divorce proceedings can begin a year after separation per South Carolina law. Timmons was divorced by June 2024 and said they are "still on very good terms".

Timmons is a captain in the Air National Guard. He has served since 2018 as a JAG officer assigned to the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

He is a Protestant.

References

External links

Congressman William Timmons
official U.S. House website

William Timmons for Congress
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Timmons, William
1984 births
Living people
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century South Carolina politicians
Christians from South Carolina
Elliott School of International Affairs alumni
Politicians from Greenville, South Carolina
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina
South Carolina lawyers
South Carolina National Guard personnel
Republican Party South Carolina state senators
South Carolina state solicitors
University of South Carolina alumni
United States Army officers
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly