Richard Cash (politician)

Richard J. Cash (born March 31, 1960) is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 3rd district since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Cash is known for his conservative stances on LGBT rights and reproductive rights.

Richard Cash
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 3rd district
Assumed office
2017
Preceded byKevin L. Bryant
Personal details
Born (1960-03-31) March 31, 1960 (age 64)
Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Marcia Williams
(m. 1985)
Children8
Alma materFurman University (B.A., 1982)
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MATS, 1990)
ProfessionBusinessman

Early life and education

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Cash was born on March 31, 1960 in Jacksonville, Florida to Thomas and Audrey Cash. He graduated magna cum laude from Furman University in 1982 with a BA in business management. While there, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1990, he received a Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.[1]

S.C. Senate

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Since 2017, Cash has represented the 3rd Senate district (northern Anderson County) in the South Carolina Senate. He was first elected during a special election to fill the unexpired term of Kevin L. Bryant, who vacated the seat and succeeded to the position of Lt. Governor of South Carolina.[2]

LGBT Rights

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Cash has an established history of anti-LGBT views.[3][4][5][6][7][8] He has opposed hate crime bills because of the inclusion of gender and sexual identities.[9] He consistently sponsors legislation to restrict the rights of transgender youth.[10][3][6][8] In March 2024, Cash outright dismissed the concept of gender and affirmative care, claiming that children can only be transgender because their peers pressure them into it.[11]

Reproductive Rights

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Cash is known as one of South Carolina's most staunch abortion foes.[12] For example, when he opposed Lindsey Graham from the right in 2014, his ads touted numerous arrests for protesting abortion[13] and criticized Graham for his positions on abortion.[14]

In 2023, Cash was one of the main Senators to push for tighter abortion restrictions in the state, opposing the 'Sister Senators', the five women who worked together across party lines to resist the bill. The Senate ultimately passed a six-week abortion law that year.[15]

Endorsements

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U.S. House of Representatives

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Personal life

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Cash is a Presbyterian, and a member of Christ Church, EPC in Anderson.[1] He is an owner and manager of rental properties.[17]

Electoral history

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Year Office Type Party Main opponent Party Votes for Cash Result Swing Ref.
Total % P. ±%
2010 U.S. Representative Rep. primary Republican Jeff Duncan Republican 20,923 25.35% 1st N/A Runoff N/A [18]
Rep. primary runoff Republican Jeff Duncan Republican 35,129 48.50% 2nd N/A Lost N/A [19][20]
2014 Senator Rep. primary Republican Lindsey Graham[a] Republican 26,325 8.30% 3rd N/A Lost N/A [21][22]
2017 S.C. Senator Rep. primary Republican Carol Burdette Republican 2,032 25.82% 2nd N/A Runoff N/A [2]
Rep. primary runoff Republican Carol Burdette Republican 4,869 54.40% 1st N/A Won N/A [23]
Special Republican Write-in N/A 3,035 81.70% 1st N/A Won Hold [24][25]
2020 Rep. primary Republican Craig Wooten Republican 9,411 56.76% 1st N/A Now N/A [26]
General Republican Judith Polson Democratic 44,446 74.03% 1st N/A Now Hold [27][28]

Notes

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  1. ^ Incumbent seeking re-election.

References

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  1. ^ a b "South Carolina Legislature Online – Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "In their own words: District 3 Senate candidates". The Anderson Independent Mail. April 2, 2017. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Schiferl, Jenna (March 6, 2020). "SC bill aims to ban transgender students from girls sports teams". Post and Courier. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Polaski, Adam (January 29, 2021). "LGBTQ Organizations in South Carolina Condemn Sen. Cash's Anti-LGBTQ Tirade on Senate Floor". Campaign for Southern Equality. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Baska, Maggie (February 1, 2021). "Vile Republican senator thinks married gay people are in direct 'rebellion' against God". PinkNews. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Rogers, Winston; Weaver, Jay (March 29, 2023). "'Anti-Transgender' bills advance after Senate subcommittee vote on party lines". WACH. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Corwin, Tom (February 21, 2024). "Ban on transgender care for minors moves forward despite concerns". Post and Courier. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Laird, Skylar (February 29, 2024). "Bill banning hormones for transgender youth advances to Senate floor fight • SC Daily Gazette". SC Daily Gazette. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Chhetri, Devyani (March 2, 2022). "Could the lack of a hate crimes bill hurt job growth in South Carolina?". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Hinson, G.E. (March 31, 2023). "Senate advances gender-identity bills". Carolina News and Reporter. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Martinez, Elizabeth (March 22, 2024). "A gender-affirming healthcare ban: what the bill would mean for South Carolina children". Carolina News and Reporter. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Holdman, Jessica (January 23, 2024). "Rep. Stewart Jones, original member of hardline Freedom Caucus, will run for SC 3rd District • SC Daily Gazette". SC Daily Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Waller, Tim (May 29, 2014). "Truth Check: The facts behind U.S. Senate hopeful Richard Cash's arrests". WYFF-TV. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Kropf, Schuyler (May 27, 2014). "Senate candidate Richard Cash has new anti-Lindsey Graham ad out". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Kate Zernike, and Ava Sasani (May 23, 2023). "South Carolina Senate Passes 6-Week Abortion Ban". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  16. ^ Mangrum, Dick (January 18, 2024). "RICHARD CASH TOUTED AS LIKELY CONGRESSIONAL HOPEFUL". WGOG-FM. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Brown, Kirk (June 1, 2020). "Incumbent Richard Cash faces Craig Wooten in SC Senate District 3 Republican primary". The Anderson Independent Mail. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "South Carolina 2010 Republican and Democratic Primary: U.S. House of Representatives District 3 - REP". South Carolina Election Commission. June 22, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  19. ^ "GOP Congressman Jeff Duncan won't run for 8th term in his South Carolina district". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. January 17, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  20. ^ "South Carolina Primary Runoff Results - Election 2010 - The New York Times". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  21. ^ Ropp, Kathy (May 1, 2014). "Cash throws cash into his campaign for U.S. Senate seat". My Horry News. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "South Carolina Primary Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  23. ^ Brown, Kirk. "Richard Cash defeats Carol Burdette in SC Senate runoff". Independent Mail. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Brown, Kirk. "Cash survives last-minute write-in effort to win Senate seat". Independent Mail. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  25. ^ "State Senate District 3 Special Election". South Carolina Election Commission. May 30, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  26. ^ Brown, Kirk (June 9, 2020). "Incumbents Jonathon Hill and Richard Cash of Anderson County defeat Republican challengers". Independent Mail. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  27. ^ Mayo, Nikie (October 10, 2020). "2020 general election: Here's who is running for South Carolina Senate District 3". Independent Mail. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  28. ^ Cavallaro, Gabe; Walters, Haley; LaFleur, Elizabeth (November 3, 2020). "Here are the election results from the SC House and Senate races in the Upstate". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  29. ^ "SC Senate District 3 Release: Richard Cash Gains Endorsements". FitsNews. April 17, 2017. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  30. ^ "NRA-PVF | Grades | South Carolina". NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 3rd district

2017–present
Incumbent