Mace mulls South Carolina governor's bid

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is mulling a run for South Carolina governor, her spokesperson confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday.

Mace in an interview with The Associated Press said she's "seriously considering" a bid to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster (R).

“I’ve been in the state Legislature before, I have great relationships in Washington now, and I’ve acquired the leadership necessary to be bold, to make sure that we are moving forward with conservative policies,” she told the AP.

“I have made a difference in the work that I have done up here, and know that I could do even more at the state level,” she added.

Mace represents South Carolina’s Lowcountry in the 1st Congressional District. A staunch supporter of President Trump, she backed him over her fellow South Carolinian, former Gov. Nikki Haley (R), in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.

Trump and Mace haven’t always seen eye to eye. Trump backed a primary challenger to her during her first reelection bid after Mace criticized him following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

But Mace survived the primary challenge, and another one waged last cycle after she voted alongside a small group of Republicans and Democrats to oust then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

“I don’t see eye to eye perfectly with any candidate. And until now I’ve stayed out of it. But the time has come to unite behind our nominee,” Mace said in a post last January when announcing her endorsement of Trump in the primary.

“To be honest, it’s been a complete shit show since he left the White House. Our country needs to reverse all the damage Joe Biden has done,” she added.

Mace more recently has garnered attention for legislation that would block transgender people from using the bathroom and other facilities that align with their gender identity in federal buildings, and for another bill that would bar transgender women from using facilities in the Capitol that align with their gender identity — a move that came after Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) became the first openly transgender lawmaker to serve in Congress.

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