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Representative Nancy Mace says if he goes ahead and launches a 2026 Republican bid for South Carolina governor, he’ll try to “lock in the support” of President Trump
“I had President Trump’s endorsement in the House and I’m working hard to lock down support in this race. He said I’m a strong conservative voice, he knows I’m a fighter,” Mace said Thursday in a statement to Fox News . Digital.
A day earlier, Mace took to social media to reiterate what he first told the AP, which is that he is seriously considering a gubernatorial run in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Henry McMaster, who has a limited term.
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Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) arrives for a House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on November 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“President Trump needs courageous leaders to implement his agenda in every state in the nation. It will take strength. It will take strength. It will take hard work. I can confirm, affirmatively, yes, we are considering a run in 2026. South Carolina First.” Mace said in his social media post.
Mace, who was first elected to the House in the 2020 election, did not vote to impeach Trump for incitement on January 6, 2021. dam of the United States Capitol by right-wing extremists and other Trump supporters seeking to disrupt Congressional certification of former President Biden’s 2020 election victory.
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But he later blamed Trump for the attack on the US capital and in 2022 faced, but survived, a Republican primary challenge from a Trump-backed challenger.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina speaks to supporters at a campaign event in Summerville, SC on June 12, 2022 (Fox News)
Mace endorsed the former president as he ran for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination and campaigned for him in of South Carolina crucial early voting presidential primaries.
Trump returned the favor, endorsing Mace when he ran for re-election last year.
Mace told Fox News Digital that “I have demonstrated my leadership, from the state legislature to Washington, my bold conservative policies are rooted in the Constitution, freedom, small government and common sense.”
“I believe in a government small enough to fit into the Constitution,” he added.
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And Mace stressed that “I kick one … and I carry names from South Carolina to DC and back. That’s the leadership the Palmetto State is looking for.”
Mace recently made headlines for introducing a resolution to ban transgender women from using women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol or adjacent House office buildings. It is an issue of great interest to many right-wing voters.
Rep. Nancy Mace speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 17, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Trump is very popular in Republican-dominated South Carolina, and his support in a GOP gubernatorial primary would have immense influence among the state’s conservative electorate.
Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sens. Josh Kimbrell and Sean Bennett are among those also considering gubernatorial bids.
It’s going to be a crowded field, veteran South Carolina-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson told Fox News. “There’s going to be a lot of people throwing their hat in the ring.”
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“It’s going to be a battle of the conservatives — how conservative can you be in South Carolina,” Wilson stressed.
McMaster, another top Trump ally, is on track to become South Carolina’s longest-serving governor. The then-lieutenant governor succeeded Gov. Nikki Haley in 2017 when she resigned as ambassador to the United Nations in Trump’s first term. McMaster won election in 2018 to a full four-year term and re-election in 2022.
