Will SC voters back Arrington, Fry? Thousands flock to Florence to hear why Trump does
Edward X. Young turned down an invitation to appear at a Monster Mania horror convention this weekend in New Jersey.
Instead, he traveled 608 miles from Brick, New Jersey, to a soggy airport field in Florence, South Carolina, getting stuck in trucker convoy traffic from Washington, D.C. along the way.
“Trump’s in South Carolina,” he said. “I’m a lion, not a sheep.”
Like Young, thousands journeyed to the Florence Regional Airport on a cold, rainy Saturday to spend hours waiting to hear from their favorite commander-in-chief who traveled South Carolina to rally voters for Republican U.S. House hopefuls Katie Arrington and Russell Fry for the 1st and 7th congressional districts, respectively.
Arrington is challenging U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Daniel Island, and Fry is hoping to unseat Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach.
Officials said the local economy will see a “Trump bump” from the weekend.
“Hotel properties in Florence saw an immediate pickup in reservations for this weekend as soon as the rally was announced,” said Jade Perkins, tourism development manager at the Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Many properties are fully booked, with guests “from all parts of the U.S. specifically for the rally,” she added.
Along a stretch of asphalt at the airport, merchants sold selections of Trump T-shirts, bumper stickers, car decals and other memorabilia. The former president’s voice boomed out of a loudspeaker that played out of someone’s tent.
“Don’t be a Demo-rat! Get yourself a Trump hat!” shouted one young salesman working the grounds.
Trump was scheduled to speak at 7 p.m.
“This is a MAGA Woodstock to me,” said 44-year-old Jonathan Riches of Tampa, Florida. “We are Trump’s army.”
Riches arrived in Florence Monday to attend his 42nd Trump rally.
“The Republican Party is the party of Trump. He’s the kingmaker,” said Riches, wearing a red “Trump Won” trucker cap. “He is our leader. This is a MAGA revolution.”
Frank Phipps, from North Myrtle Beach, isn’t sold on that part yet.
He likes Trump and said Rice should be replaced. But he isn’t sure whether he’ll vote for Fry, Trump’s choice of candidate.
On Saturday, Phipps joined the crowd early, holding a homemade sign saying, “Rice has to go.”
Rice was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a vote that sparked Rice’s challengers. Rice was swiftly censured by the South Carolina Republican Party but has defended his vote, arguing that the GOP should stick with Trump’s policies but abandon him personally.
“We know Tom Rice is bought off by the Democratic Party, there’s quite a few RINOs in the party (Republican in name only),” Phipps said. “You might as well say he supported Joe Biden. I’m disgusted with him, I have no need for him. It’s time for him to go, I’m through with his lies.”
As Phipps held his sign, a Fry volunteer attempted to win his vote. Phipps politely brushed him off.
“Right now I’m still undecided. There’s a good possibility he may have my vote. I don’t know a lot about Russell Fry,” Phipps said. “If they have a good Christian background, that’s who I’m going to vote for.”
Lynn Newsome also isn’t sold on Fry.
Like other vendors, he drove from his shop on S.C. 151 to Florence to hawk Trump T-shirts and a dart board with Biden’s face on it. He soured on Rice years ago, and said Trump shouldn’t have endorsed Fry.
“I’m dead against it,” Newsome said. “I think it was probably a political move that came out of Columbia with Henry McMaster, and what is his name, Drew McKissick? To me, a vote for Russell Fry will be nothing more than a vote for Tom Rice, I really do.”
McKissick is the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.
Newsome’s attitude is shared among a number of conservatives across the 7th Congressional district, who say they view Fry as too politically similar. Some, like Newsome, said Trump received bad advice, leading him to endorse Fry.
Newsome is leaning toward Barbara Arthur, a Hartsville resident who works as an insurance agent and is a Christian speaker. Arthur bought billboard space for her campaign directly in front of the Florence Regional Airport, displaying the contrasting views of Republicans who had come out to see Trump.
“I hope Barbara can give (Fry) a good little run there,” he said. “I’d much rather see her running against Rice because I know the lady can’t be bought.”
Trump will share the stage Saturday with Gov. Henry McMaster, Arrington and Fry.
None, though, will have the kind of star appeal as the former president, Myrtle Beach resident Ben Lupi said.
Lupi, a contractor who moved to the Grand Strand last summer from Albany, New York, said he was lured by the state’s conservative politics and deep ties to Trump.
“If we don’t do something quick, we’re going to lose this country before 2024,” said Lupi, wearing a “Trump 2024” T-shirt. “We need to turn this train wreck around.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Will SC voters back Arrington, Fry? Thousands flock to Florence to hear why Trump does."
