Introduction
Ralph W. Norman (born June 20, 1953) is a real estate developer who served as a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. In February 2017, Norman vacated his seat to launch a congressional bid.
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 Norman's father. He and his wife, Elaine have 4 children and 15 grandchildren.
Political career
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 Carolina's South Carolina's 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. In December 2016 he announced that he will run for the United States House of Representatives for South Carolina's 5th congressional district seat of Mick Mulvaney, who joined the Trump administration, in the 2017 special election.