Republican Robert E. Lee and 25-year-old Democrat file to challenge Rep. Timmons in Upstate

A Republican named Robert E. Lee and a Democrat just old enough to be in Congress have joined the field seeking to oust U.S. Rep. William Timmons.

Sharing a middle initial with the Confederate general is “fantastic for name recognition,” Lee, 39, told the SC Daily Gazette on Thursday. (His middle name is Eugene, rather than Edward.) He added that it was unfortunate the famous general didn’t fight for the Union, saying if he had, “he would have ended the war a lot sooner.”

The mechanical engineer, who lives in Mauldin, launched his campaign Wednesday and is the second Republican challenging Timmons in the 4th Congressional District, which covers most of Greenville and Spartanburg counties.

He will be on the ballot as Robert E. Lee, as written in his candidacy paperwork filed Wednesday.

Democrat Courtney McClain of Spartanburg, who filed last week, could make history in multiple ways.

The other Republican challenger is David Atchley of Greenville, a businessman and son of a former Clemson University president with decades of fundraising experience. He filed to run Tuesday, after launching his bid last month.

Timmons, first elected in 2018, received an early endorsement last October from President Donald Trump. He highlighted that again Wednesday when he filed his paperwork for re-election.

“I am grateful to have President Trump’s endorsement to continue my service on behalf of the Fourth District. I am proud of the work we have done together to get our country back on track,” Timmons said in a news release. “We have made real progress by cutting taxes for working families, securing the border, and reining in government spending and overreach.”

Lee called the war with Iran that began Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli air strikes a “disaster” and a betrayal of Trump’s “America First” principles.

He said he became more passionate about foreign policy after seeing news reports about the civilian casualties in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas. He believes the U.S. should reduce aid to the Israeli military and ensure Israel doesn’t bomb Iran or Lebanon during negotiations to end war with Iran.

On his website, he lists Republicans he aligns with, including U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and former Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying he supports their votes to force the U.S. Justice Department to release its case files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Democratic challenger

McClain turned 25 — the minimum age set by the U.S. Constitution for a member of Congress — in December.

If she wins, she would be the youngest female ever elected to the U.S. House, breaking the record set by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who was 29 when she took office in January 2019. The youngest representative ever was William Claiborne of Tennessee, who was allowed to take his seat in 1797 despite only being 22.

McClain would also be the first Black woman ever elected to Congress from South Carolina.

She told the SC Daily Gazette on Thursday that her experience getting young people engaged in politics as the president of the South Carolina NAACP’s Youth and College Division has prepared her to flip the ruby-red district.

She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2023 and interned for former Missouri U.S. Rep. Cori Bush through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Bush was among two members of the chamber’s progressive Squad defeated in 2024.

McClain wants to expand Medicare so that anyone can get their health insurance from the government for free, regardless of their income.

She also supports a bill that passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month with bipartisan support, following up on an executive order by Trump, which would ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes. Those investors are defined as those who directly or indirectly own 350 or more single-family homes.

McClain is the only Democrat who’s filed to run for the seat. She filed on March 18; filing closes at noon on March 30.

By being on the ballot, she said, she aims to give people hope. She doesn’t believe candidates should have to “wait their turn,” she said.

Calling Timmons inaccessible, she said she wants voters disillusioned with him to know: “I have the power to cast my ballot and to really make change in South Carolina politics, regardless of what has been the historical norm.”

Timmons defeated his 2024 primary challenger, former hardline state Rep. Adam Morgan of Taylors, by 3 percentage points. He then easily defeated his general election opponent, Democrat Kathryn Harvey, by 22.5 percentage points.