Ralph Norman
RepublicanU.S. Representative, SC-5| Age | 72 (b. 1953-06-20) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2017-06-26 (~8 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Presbyterian (Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rock Hill, SC) |
| Education | Rock Hill High School (1971); B.S. in Business, Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC (1975) |
| Prior occupation | Commercial real estate developer; spent career at Warren Norman Company, his father's firm, growing it into one of SC's foremost commercial real estate companies with hotels, shopping centers, and rental properties; managed over $150M in commercial real estate |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Rock Hill, South Carolina |
| Languages | English |
| Marital status | married — Elaine Rice Norman |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Rock Hill, South Carolina |
| Notable relatives | Father: Warren Norman, founder of the Warren Norman Company, a major commercial real estate developer in York County, SC |
Pending research: openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2004 |
| Previous offices | South Carolina House of Representatives, District 48 (2005–2007) · South Carolina House of Representatives, District 48 (2009–2017) |
| Committees | House Committee on Financial Services (Subcommittees: Financial Institutions; Housing and Insurance) · House Committee on Rules · House Committee on the Budget |
| Caucuses | House Freedom Caucus · Republican Study Committee · Congressional Western Caucus · Congressional Solar Caucus |
| Ideology | Ranked most conservative House member in the 117th Congress (GovTrack); Heritage Action scorecard 100% (119th Congress); Freedom Caucus member; GovTrack 2022 report card ranked most politically right among all Representatives |
| Signature legislation | Co-sponsored Balanced Budget Amendment legislation · H.R. 9103, Merit Restoration Act (119th Congress) · H.R. 8118, Election Infrastructure Integrity Act |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $24,700,000–$95,000,000 (2022) · estimate
| PNC Bank Self-Directed IRA (cash) | other · $5,000,000–$25,000,000 · 2022 |
| Various rental/commercial real estate properties (SC and other states) | real_estate · $1,000,000–$5,000,000 · 2022 |
| Warren Norman Company (family commercial real estate business) | business_owned · 2022 |
Top donors: House Freedom Fund ($39,625) · Warren Norman Company · Conservative Opportunity Fund (Norman's Leadership PAC) ($34,300) · Burns Chevrolet · Nutramax Laboratories
Top industries: Real Estate · Finance/Insurance · Conservative PACs/Ideological donors · Retired · General Business
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — House Mask Mandate Fine — Upheld by Ethics Committee, Supreme Court Appeal Rejected
Norman was fined $500 by the House Sergeant at Arms in May 2021 for refusing to wear a face mask on the House floor in violation of House Resolution 38 and House Rule II, clause 3(g). He joined a maskless selfie on the House floor with Greene, Massie, and Rep. Mary Miller. Norman appealed to the House Ethics Committee in June 2021, but a majority of the Committee voted to uphold the fine on July 20, 2021. Norman then filed a civil lawsuit against Speaker Pelosi, which was dismissed at the district level, affirmed by the D.C. Circuit, and denied certiorari by the Supreme Court in February 2024, exhausting all avenues of appeal.
resolved — House Mask Mandate Fine ($500) and Unsuccessful Lawsuit Against Speaker Pelosi
Norman refused to wear a face mask on the House floor as required under a Speaker Pelosi-imposed mandate and was fined $500 under the House mask rule. He appealed the fine to the House Ethics Committee and the appeal was rejected. He then joined Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene in a federal lawsuit arguing the fines violated the 27th Amendment (as an unconstitutional salary reduction). The U.S. District Court for D.C. dismissed the suit under the Speech or Debate Clause. The D.C. Circuit upheld the dismissal. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2023, leaving the fine in place.