After a fierce backlash to his vote to impeach former US President Donald Trump, a Republican congressman has lost his bid to keep his seat.
Tom Rice, a five-term incumbent in South Carolina, was defeated in a primary race by state legislator Russell Fry, who was backed by Trump.
Nancy Mace, a Republican in the state who had criticised Mr Trump, easily won her vote.
Ms Mace afterwards paid a visit to Trump Tower as a gesture of support.
Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Texas all held congressional ballots on Tuesday.
Mr Rice had been a staunch Trump supporter until the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, when he joined ten other Republicans in voting to impeach the outgoing president for inciting insurgency.
Trump calls the investigation into the Capitol riots a “Kangaroo Court.”
In the Senate, Mr Trump was found not guilty of the political allegation. A Democratic-led congressional investigation into the Capitol riot is currently holding public hearings, accusing the previous president of organising a coup attempt.
Mr Rice acknowledged that his impeachment vote could jeopardise his political career, but insisted that he was acting by his conscience. He was defeated by more than 25 points on Tuesday night.
The ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump have had a mixed bag of results. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have become outspoken Trump critics and currently serve on the committee investigating the Capitol violence in the US House of Representatives. Mr Kinzinger is one of those who will not seek re-election. Others are fighting for survival in politics.
Ms Mace did not vote to impeach Mr Trump, but she did earn his wrath by denouncing him for the Capitol disturbance and voting to certify President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
She attempted to atone for her actions by making a video outside Trump Tower in New York City this year to remind her constituents that she was one of the former president’s earliest supporters.
Despite Mr Trump promoting her opponent, Nancy Mace earned her vote.
Mr Trump endorsed her opponent, Katie Arrington, a former state legislator. Ms Mace, on the other hand, easily exceeded the required 50% vote threshold to avoid a run-off election.
Mr Trump, who celebrated his 76th birthday on Tuesday, had encouraged fans to give him two birthday gifts by defeating Mr Rice and Ms Mace.
Political observers predict that the Republican primary winners in the ruby-red state of South Carolina will defeat their Democratic competitors in November’s mid-term elections.
In other outcomes, Republicans in Texas flipped a strongly Hispanic district for the first time.
Mayra Flores won a special election in the 34th district, a seat that President Biden carried by 13 points in 2020.
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As Americans cope with growing inflation, Mr Biden’s approval rating slipped for the third week in a row to 39 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.
