William Timmons

SPARTANBURG — Republican U.S. Rep. William Timmons, who for the past seven years has served as the congressman representing Greenville and Spartanburg counties, says the next term will be his last if he wins reelection this year.

Timmons signaled his intention during a Jan. 30 appearance at a chamber of commerce conference in Spartanburg, where he gave a federal legislative update and took questions from the audience.

“It’s truly an honor to represent Greenville and Spartanburg in Congress,” he said. “I’m doing this one more term and then I’m coming home, and I’m very excited to be done with it.”

Timmons is facing a Republican primary challenger, Greenville businessman David Atchley, who has criticized him for being a largely absentee representative in the 4th Congressional District.

A Timmons spokesperson told The Post and Courier in a statement the announcement is a promise being kept.

“Congressman Timmons always promised voters he would never become a career politician,” spokesperson Liz Willis said. “He committed to serving 10 years, and intends to keep his word. He is excited to serve one more term under President Trump and help deliver the America First agenda the people of South Carolina overwhelmingly support.”

Last October, Trump endorsed Timmons, who is from Greenville and was formerly a prosecutor and small-business owner. Timmons previously served as a state senator and is a JAG officer and captain in the South Carolina Air National Guard.

In launching his challenge, Atchley has characterized Timmons as inaccessible and disconnected from the district.

“I think we can do better,” he previously told The Post and Courier.

In a text message Jan. 30, Atchley said voters weren’t asking about someone’s final term, but instead asking whether their representative is “present, accessible and focused on the district today.”

“Ultimately, voters will decide,” he added. “I’m giving them a choice centered on service, not longevity.”

Atchley, 60, started a Greenville-based fundraising and strategy consulting firm after working in the higher education arena. He has raised more than $700 million for education, business and community growth initiatives, he said, and his firm boasts a corporate network that includes Michelin, Bank of America, BMW Manufacturing and Milliken.

Most recently, AtchleyWhite + Associates worked to secure corporate sponsorships for Trueline GVL, a new music venue coming to downtown Greenville’s West End.

Atchley, whose father served as president of Clemson University, previously worked for former U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond in the 1980s. He said he had promised the senator he would someday run for public office.

In response to Atchley’s criticism, Timmons previously told The Post and Courier that he’s in D.C. because of his congressional duties but goes back and forth from the district frequently.

“My cellphone number is available to 850,000 people, and I pick it up every day, for many of them,” he previously told The Post and Courier.

“He's welcome to put his name in the hat, but he will be dispatched like the others,” he added.

At the conference Jan. 30, Timmons said the president has done everything he can to deliver on his campaign promises, but admitted the last year “has been a bit of a strain” on Capitol Hill.

Timmons highlighted Trump’s business and trade agenda, saying the U.S. successfully renegotiated almost all of its trade agreements with major trading partners, stopped government spending and adopted the One Big Beautiful Bill — a trillion-dollar spending package that was “designed to give businesses the certainty to invest” and deliver tax cuts to the middle class.

But even as Timmons fielded questions about the economy and immigration enforcement, he criticized Congress’ inability to accomplish meaningful change.

“It’s really hard to be a productive, policy-oriented member of Congress because the incentive structures are so perverse,” he told the audience. “Saying something crazy gets you tens of thousands of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions, which then facilitates your reelection, upward mobility — none of that is helpful to the American people.”

While he said lawmakers are working to reclaim their constitutional authority, Timmons put the onus on everyday people to dial down the political temperature. Like many members of Congress, he has security now, he said.

“We have a reasonable degree of fear for our lives,” he said. “It’s unacceptable.”