Ralph Warren Norman Jr. (born June 20, 1953) is an American real estate developer and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 5th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2009 until 2017. In February 2017, Norman vacated his seat to launch a U.S. congressional bid. Norman defeated Archie Parnell 51.1% to 47.9% in the South Carolina's 5th congressional district special election, 2017.
Video Ralph Norman
Early life and career
He was born in York County, South Carolina, and currently resides in Rock Hill, where he is a real estate developer at the Warren Norman Company, a business founded by and named after Norman's father. He and his wife, Elaine have 4 children and 16 grandchildren.
Maps Ralph Norman
South Carolina House of Representatives
In 2004, Norman was elected to serve District 48 in the South Carolina House of Representatives, winning a three-way Republican primary outright with 52% of the vote. After one term, Norman chose not to run for reelection so he could become the 2006 Republican candidate in an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Congress in South Carolina's South Carolina's 5th congressional district against John Spratt.
On November 3, 2009, Ralph Norman defeated Democrat Kathy Cantrell in a special election to reclaim his old seat.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2017 special election
In December 2016, Norman announced that he would run for the United States House of Representatives for South Carolina's 5th congressional district seat of Mick Mulvaney, who joined the Trump administration, in the 2017 special election.
On May 16, 2017, Norman won a runoff election against Tommy Pope for the Republican nomination for the 5th congressional seat of South Carolina. Norman defeated Pope by only 200 votes, with Norman tallying 17,755 votes, and Pope receiving 17,552 votes. Norman faced the Democratic nominee, Archie Parnell, in the June 20, 2017 special election, which he narrowly won with 51% of the vote. .
During the primary video surfaced of floor debate between Ralph Norman and challenger Tommy Pope discussing a bill to allow police officers to be treated for PTSD under Worker's Compensation. Ralph Norman stated, "Any one of us could get a crayon and coloring book and start coloring and chewing on the desk and we would be deemed mentally incompetent and we would get paid - there would be no ending to it."
Norman hired Walter Whetsell and Le Frye of Starboard Communications, Harris Media and Rory McShane to guide his campaign.
Tenure
Norman was sworn into office on June 26, 2017. Norman joined the Republican Study Committee.
Committee assignments
- United States House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- Committee on Small Business
Firearms incident
While at a public meeting for constituents on April 6, 2018, Norman engaged in a conversation with representatives from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (MDA). During that conversation, Norman placed his personal .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun on the table to illustrate his belief that "gun violence is a spiritual, mental or people issue, not a gun issue." According to Norman, the loaded firearm was visible for "maybe a minute, or two minutes" and was never pointed at any individual. However representatives from MDA who were seated at the table with Norman, said the firearm was visible for "five to 10 minutes" and that they felt unsafe. Norman holds a Concealed Weapons Permit issued by the State of South Carolina.
The incident sparked widespread criticism of Norman. On April 9, 2018, South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson wrote a letter to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division requesting felony charges against Norman for his conduct. The case was originally assigned to South Carolina 16th Solicitor Kevin Brackett. However, Brackett recused himself citing a "personal friendship" with Norman. The issue was then forwarded to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who declined to press charges stating that Norman's actions did not "warrant a criminal investigation" or constitute "a proscutable offense."
References
External links
- Norman's official U.S. House website
- Norman's campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Official Biography, South Carolina House of Representatives
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Source of article : Wikipedia
0 Comments