Ahead of major SCGOP conference in Myrtle Beach, Rep. Tom Rice says he wasn’t invited
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Ahead of a major political conference the South Carolina Republican Party plans to hold in Myrtle Beach this weekend, a key local politician, U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-Myrtle Beach) says he was left off the invitation list.
Speaking to the Post & Courier newspaper Wednesday, Rice said he believes the slight is tied to his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump in January following the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol Building Jan. 6.
“I wasn’t invited,” Rice told The Sun News on Thursday. “I think that it’s retribution for my vote to impeach the president after the riot on Jan. 6 where we watched the capitol police get beat up for four hours and he did nothing to stop it.”
Rice made similar comments Wednesday to The Post & Courier, which first reported that he was not invited to the conference.
Rice said he was “surprised” he wasn’t invited to a GOP conference in the town he grew up in and has represented for a decade. He said he believes the Republican party is still too focused on Trump and not focused enough on winning future elections.
“I think they’re way too focused on one man and not focused on selling our message,” he said. “We’re not going to win the next election by re-litigating the last election. If we’re divided we’ll fail.”
The slight is significant as the SCGOP has planned and billed its Myrtle Beach conference as the first of a recurring event that hopes to draw some of the biggest names in conservative politics and amplify South Carolina’s role as a heavyweight in the national party. The state party has dubbed it the “First in the South Republican Action Conference” and wants the event to “underline and emphasize the importance South Carolina plays in the presidential primary timeline,” according to party announcements about the event.
And other members of Congress are slated to attend and speak at the event.
Friday evening, the event’s schedule lists Florida Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-Gainesville) as hosting a dinner, and Sunday morning South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is scheduled to speak. Texas Congressman and former White House physician Ronny Jackson is also scheduled to host a luncheon on Friday. And former Ohio Congressman Bob McEwen is slated to host a dinner Saturday.
Claire Brady, a spokesperson for the SCGOP, said Thursday morning that the party wouldn’t comment on whether or not Rice was not invited, or why.
Rice may also be left off the invite list for another conservative event happening this weekend, too. According to Tracy “Beanz” Diaz, the Horry County GOP’s liaison to the state party in Columbia, local party members attempted to work with the SCGOP in planning and hosting the weekend conference but were “ignored.” That caused the Horry GOP to throw its weight behind another conservative event happening Friday evening, the “I Pledge Allegiance” event, where conservative personalities Diamond & Silk and one-time congressional candidate Kim Klacik will speak. Diaz is also billed to speak.
On Thursday, Diaz said she didn’t believe Rice had been invited to that event, either. Eric Carroll, an organizer of the event, confirmed that Rice had not been invited to that event, either.
Earlier this year, Rice angered Republicans across his district and South Carolina when he joined nine other House Republicans in voting to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6 insurrection, in which Trump supporters attempted to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Shortly after the vote, Rice was censured by the Horry County GOP and by the SCGOP, one of the strongest rebukes the party can take against its elected officials.
Rice, though, at events and in interviews, has argued that he felt compelled to vote to impeach Trump in order uphold the U.S. Constitution.
“The purpose of (the riot) was to intimidate members of Congress to vote the way the president wanted them to vote,” he said during a town hall event in January following the vote to impeach Trump. “If you want somebody who kowtows to bullies and forgets about the Constitution when it gets hard, I’m not your guy.”
Following his January vote, Rice also noted that he campaigned for, supported and voted with Trump throughout his term in office.
“I campaigned for him and voted for him twice. But, this utter failure is inexcusable,” Rice said.
Since the impeachment vote, a crowded field of challengers have lined up hoping to unseat Rice, including Ken Richardson, chairman of the Horry County school board, SC Rep. Russell Fry and conservative media personality Graham Allen. Rice, though, has maintained a significant fundraising edge over the challengers.
The SCGOP conference will be held Oct. 29-31 at the Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort and Spa at Grand Dunes.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from Rice.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 10:41 AM with the headline "Ahead of major SCGOP conference in Myrtle Beach, Rep. Tom Rice says he wasn’t invited."
