U.S . House of Representatives
Ralph Norman took which position from Jun 2017 to 2019?
Ralph Norman Ralph Warren Norman Jr . ( born June 20 , 1953 ) is an American real estate developer and politician serving as the U.S . Representative for since 2017 . A member of the Republican Party , his district includes most of the South Carolina side of the Charlotte metropolitan area , along with outer portions of the Upstate and Midlands . Norman previously served as the South Carolina State Representative for the 48th district from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2009 until 2017 . Norman won a special election after Mick Mulvaney had vacated his seat in Congress following his appointment as Director of the Office of Management and Budget by President Donald Trump . As of 2018 , with a net worth of $18.3 million , he is the 17th wealthiest member of Congress . 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 Normans father . He and his wife , Elaine , have 4 children and 17 grandchildren . He received a bachelors degree in business from Presbyterian College in 1975 . 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 Carolinas 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 , President Donald Trump nominated Mick Mulvaney as Director of the Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) . At the time , Mulvaney represented South Carolinas 5th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives . Shortly after this nomination , and in anticipation that Mulvaneys seat in Congress would be vacated once he was confirmed to the OMB by the United States Senate , Norman announced his intention to resign from the South Carolina House of Representatives to run for U.S . Congress . On May 16 , 2017 , Norman won a Republican primary runoff election against Tommy Pope by a margin of 0.6% , triggering an automatic recount per South Carolina state law . Following that recount , the South Carolina State Election Commission certified Norman as the Republican primary winner on May 19 , 2017 . With 35,425 votes cast , Norman received 17,823 , while Pope received 17,602 , a 221-vote difference . Having secured the Republican nomination in the primary election , Norman went on to face the Democratic nominee , Sumter attorney Archie Parnell , in a special election held on June 20 , 2017 . In that special election , Norman received 51.0% of the votes while Parnell received 47.9% . Norman was sworn into office on June 26 , 2017 . 2018 . On March 19 , 2018 , Representative Norman filed for re-election for with the South Carolina Election Commission . Facing no Republican primary challengers , Norman secured the Republican party nomination following the South Carolina primary election held on June 12 , 2018 . Meanwhile , Archie Parnell , the Democratic challenger that Norman defeated during the 2017 special election , chose to run again for South Carolinas 5th Congressional District seat in Congress . Parnell defeated three Democratic opponents to win that partys nomination , and went on to face Norman once again in the 2018 general election . The 2018 general election in South Carolina was held November 6 , 2018 . Norman won re-election , receiving 57.0% of the votes to Parnells 41.5% . Normans margin of victory was significantly larger than his margin of victory over Parnell in the 2017 special election , held 17 months earlier . However , state and national Democrats had distanced themselves from Parnell after news broke that hed abused his first wife . 2020 . Representative Norman filed for re-election to the U.S . House of Representatives on March 16 , 2020 . He secured the Republican nomination after facing no Republican challengers in the South Carolina primary election held on June 12 , 2020 . Norman went on to defeat Democrat Mauricus Moe Brown in the general election held on November 3 , 2020 . Norman received 60.1% of the votes to Brown’s 39.9% . Tenure . Sexual assault joke . On September 20 , 2018 , at an election debate for the Republican nomination for the 5th congressional seat of South Carolina , Norman joked about sexual assault allegations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh . He kicked-off the debate asking the audience , “Did y’all hear this latest late-breaking news on the Kavanaugh hearings ? …Ruth Bader Ginsburg came out saying she was groped by Abraham Lincoln.” Firearm 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 Normans actions did not warrant a criminal investigation or constitute a prosecutable offense . Steve King . In 2019 , Norman joined with a small group of other House Republicans who sought to reinstate Rep . Steve King on House committees . King had lost his committee positions due to a series of racist and white nationalist remarks . The group also included Reps . Louie Gohmert and Paul Gosar . Ultimately , King was not reinstated . Donald Trump . Norman was described as a Trump ally during Donald Trumps presidency . After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and President Donald Trump made claims of election fraud , Norman called for an investigation into fraud . In December 2020 , Norman was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v . Pennsylvania , a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election , in which Joe Biden prevailed over incumbent Donald Trump . The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state . After Donald Trump was impeached for his role in inciting a pro-Trump mob to storm the U.S . Capitol over false claims of election fraud , Norman criticized his fellow Republican , Rep . Liz Cheney for voting to impeach Trump . Norman said he was bothered by Cheneys attitude , telling her You’ve got a defiant attitude . Conservative Political Action Conference attendance . In late February 2021 , Norman and a dozen other Republican House members skipped votes and enlisted others to vote for them , citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . However , he and the other members were actually attending the Conservative Political Action Conference , which was held at the same time as their slated absences . In response , the Campaign for Accountability , an ethics watchdog group , filed a complaint with the House Committee on Ethics and requested an investigation into Norman and the other lawmakers . Conservative Opportunity Society . In 2021 , Norman was elected Chairman of the Conservative Opportunity Society . Committee assignments . - Committee on Oversight and Reform - Subcommittee on Government Operations - Committee on Science , Space , and Technology - Subcommittee on Energy - Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight - Committee on the Budget Caucus memberships . - Republican Study Committee - Freedom Caucus - Congressional Solar Caucus - Congressional Western Caucus - Congressional Waste-Cutters Caucus External links . - Congressman Ralph Norman official U.S . House website - Campaign website - Official Biography , South Carolina House of Representatives