| Rex Rice | |
| State Senate: | South Carolina |
| District: | 2nd |
| Term Start: | November 14, 2016 |
| Predecessor: | Larry A. Martin |
| State House1: | South Carolina |
| District1: | 26th |
| Term Start1: | 1994 |
| Term End1: | 2010 |
| Predecessor1: | Jim Mattos |
| Successor1: | Eric Bikas |
| Birth Date: | 9 May 1957 |
| Birth Place: | Pensacola, Florida |
| Alma Mater: | Anderson College University of South Carolina |
| Party: | Republican |
| Occupation: | Politician, businessman |
| Children: | 2 |
Rex Fontaine Rice (born May 9, 1957) is an American politician and businessman currently serving as the senator for South Carolina's 2nd Senate District, a position he has held since 2016. He previously served as the representative for House District 26 in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 to 2010. Known for his fiscal conservatism, Rice has advocated for state control over education and environmental issues, the repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act, and the abolition of income tax in favor of increased sales taxes. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Rice was first elected to represent South Carolina State House District 26 in 1994.[1] He did not seek re-election in 2010, instead opting to run for South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District when Gresham Barrett stepped down to run for Governor of South Carolina in the 2010 election.[2]
As a house representative, Rice was a recognized fiscal conservative.[3] He advocated for the idea that education and environment issues should be left entirely to the states. An example of this was his advocacy for the repeal of the No Child Left Behind Act.[4] Additionally, he argued for the abolition of income tax in favor of expanded regressive tax policies such as the increase of sales tax.[5]
Rice has represented the 2nd Senate District (parts of Pickens County) since 2016, when he defeated longtime incumbent Larry Martin during the Republican primary.
, Rice serves on the Corrections and Penology Committee, the Education Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, and the Transportation Committee.
Since 2022, he has opposed efforts to pass a hate crime bill in South Carolina.[6]
In February 2023, he filed a resolution to limit congressional terms.[7] This would make South Carolina one of 34 states that would need to call a national convention to amend the US Constitution.
In November 2023, he sponsored Constitutional Carry legislation to relax gun control laws by lowering the age of carrying a handgun and getting rid of requiring permits, training, and background checks.[8]
As a Senator, Rice has supported a near-total ban on abortion, without exceptions for rape or incest.[9] [10] Instead, he supports exceptions only in cases where a mother's life might be at risk.[11]
Rice tried (and failed) to unseat Larry Martin in 2012. In 2016, when Rice re-challenged Martin, the Republican primary became highly contentious. During the run-off, dark money ad donors funded attack ads against Martin, though Rice denied any role in their funding.[12]
Rice lives in Easley, South Carolina with his wife Ruth. He owns a construction company. He is Presbyterian. He graduated from Anderson University and the University of South Carolina.
| Year | Office | Type | Party | Main opponent | Party | Votes for Rice | Result | Swing | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | . | ||||||||||||||
| 1992 | S.C. Representative | General | Republican | Jim Mattos | Democratic | 3,594 | 46.01% | 2nd | N/A | Hold | [13] | |||||
| 1994 | General | Republican | Jim Mattos | Democratic | 3,409 | 53.74% | 1st | +7.73% | Gain | [14] | ||||||
| 1996 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 5,269 | 100.00% | 1st | +46.26% | Hold | [15] | ||||||
| 1998 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 5,508 | 98.48% | 1st | -1.52% | Hold | [16] | ||||||
| 2000 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 6,868 | 98.52% | 1st | +0.04% | Hold | [17] | ||||||
| 2002 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 5,823 | 98.56% | 1st | +0.04% | Hold | [18] | ||||||
| 2004 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 8,360 | 99.57% | 1st | +1.01% | Hold | [19] | ||||||
| 2006 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 5,685 | 99.37% | 1st | -0.20% | Hold | [20] | ||||||
| 2008 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 9,371 | 99.17% | 1st | -0.20% | Hold | [21] [22] | ||||||
| 2010 | U.S. Representative | Rep. primary | Republican | Jeff Duncan | Republican | 16,071 | 19.47% | 3rd | N/A | N/A | [23] [24] [25] | |||||
| 2012 | S.C. Senator | General | Petition | Larry A. Martin | Republican | 13,164 | 35.31% | 2nd | N/A | Hold | [26] [27] [28] | |||||
| 2016 | Rep. primary | Republican | Larry A. Martin | Republican | 4,641 | 33.30% | 2nd | N/A | Runoff | N/A | [29] | |||||
| Rep. primary runoff | Republican | Larry A. Martin | Republican | 6,022 | 54.21% | 1st | N/A | N/A | [30] [31] [32] [33] | |||||||
| General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 36,944 | 98.64% | 1st | N/A | Hold | [34] | |||||||
| 2020 | General | Republican | Write-in | N/A | 44,116 | 98.10% | 1st | -0.54% | Hold | [35] | ||||||
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