SC’s Russell Fry raises ‘well over $200,000’ in first months of Congressional campaign
South Carolina lawmaker Rep. Russell Fry said Wednesday that his campaign for a seat in Congress has raised “well over $200,000” in the first two months of his race.
A source close to Fry’s campaign said the total was around $205,000 and expected to increase as the campaign continues tallying donations.
That figure appears to put him on pace with several other candidates in the race who have managed to raise significant amounts of money.
“The response is both overwhelming and humbling. I didn’t grow up with much so I’m always appreciative of every single donation.” Fry said in a news release shared with The Sun News. “Our message of restoring trust and electing a new generation of Republican leaders is resonating with people. Our donors are friends and family and perfect strangers. They are teachers, mechanics, first responders, retirees, veterans, and small business owners. And I am deeply honored to have earned their support.”
Fry, a Republican member of the state House of Representatives hailing from Surfside Beach, launched his campaign for Congress against incumbent Tom Rice in August. His campaign said in the release that it raised the money in its first eight weeks. The release described Fry, in light of the fundraising haul, as “in the top tier of candidates in the crowded GOP primary.”
“We’re well over $200,000 with checks still coming in,” Fry spokesperson Mark Powell said. “About 90 percent of the donations we will be reporting this quarter are local, coming from everyday residents of the 7th District. And 95 percent of them are from South Carolina.”
Fry in August said he joined the race for Rice’s seat in Congress because Rice “broke the trust” of voters in the 7th district when he voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in January.
“People within the district, and outside, really have a passion for believing in their government, believing in their representative again, they’re certainly upset,” Fry said in an interview with The State and The Sun News then. “But there’s a great bit of enthusiasm for the future.”
Fundraising for national races like Congress is done in three-month segments, or quarters. Federal rules require campaigns to report their contributions and fundraising totals each quarter. Candidates have until later this month to report their full figures.
According to data from the Federal Election Commission, Fry’s fundraising total puts him among the ranks of other high-earners in the race.
Rice, for example, has raised $731,345 so far this year and has $1,586,316 on hand to spend.
Walter Whetsell, Rice’s campaign manager, said Rice expects to report “north of” $370,000 for the third quarter of 2021, and will have more than $1.7 million on hand to spend.
Ken Richardson, the chairman of the Horry County school board and another candidate in the race, has raised $179,797 this year and has $97,965 on hand.
Graham Allen, a conservative media personality from Anderson, SC who announced his race for the seat on Fox News has raised $501,245 to date and has $462,814 on hand to spend.
And Barbara Arthur, an anti-communist Cuban-American who’s entered the race, has raised $106,431 to date and has $103,451 on hand to spend.
Richardson said Wednesday he wasn’t able to share his most recent fundraising numbers, as his accountant was still calculating the total. A representative from Allen’s campaign didn’t respond to requests to share their most recent fundraising figures.
South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District stretches from Georgetown County to the state line and includes Horry, Marion, Chesterfield, Dillon, Marlboro and Darlington counties, as well as part of Florence County.
The Republican primary election for the seat will be held next year.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information about Rice’s fundraising.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 4:41 PM with the headline "SC’s Russell Fry raises ‘well over $200,000’ in first months of Congressional campaign."
