Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, one of the hateful Republicans in Congress, simply introduced her marketing campaign for governor of South Carolina in 2026.
In a video posted to social media Monday, Mace strongly aligned herself with President Donald Trump, regardless of as soon as being considered one of his most vocal critics. The clip consists of footage of Trump calling her a “fighter.”
She has reportedly been in touch with the White Home about her plans, although it’s unsure if she is going to obtain Trump’s “complete and total” endorsement.
Her former staffers say her behind-the-scenes response was much more theatrical. In line with The Washington Put up, Mace thought-about filming herself confronting the insurrectionists in order that she might get punched and go viral as one of many fiercest anti-Trump Republicans. Her crew talked her out of it. When requested in regards to the story later, she deflected: “What you write doesn’t pass for real journalism.”
Regardless of her supposed outrage, Mace by no means voted to question Trump and shortly stopped making an attempt to distance herself from him. Trump repaid her wobbliness by endorsing a main challenger in 2022—Katie Arrington—however Mace survived. By the subsequent yr, she’d morphed into considered one of his staunchest defenders.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, left, greets President Donald Trump as he arrives to deal with a joint session of Congress on the Capitol on March 4.
If that seems like a political transformation, it wasn’t. Mace hasn’t modified; she’s simply adjusted her strategy. Her model is no matter retains her related. In 2023, she referred to as herself “pro-transgender rights.” A yr later, she launched a decision to ban trans ladies from utilizing ladies’s restrooms on the Capitol—concentrating on incoming Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride, the primary overtly trans member of Congress. She additionally promoted broader laws affecting all federal buildings and faculties.
However Mace isn’t simply working on culture-war points. In February, she shocked the Home by accusing her ex-fiancé of rape, assault, and intercourse trafficking—naming him and different alleged abusers throughout a speech. She additionally straight criticized South Carolina Legal professional Normal Alan Wilson, accusing him of slow-walking the investigation. Wilson, now a GOP main rival, introduced his bid for governor in June.
The Republican subject additionally consists of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the right-wing members of the Home. Gov. Henry McMaster is term-limited and won’t run once more.
At 47, Mace has been getting ready for this second for years. She first gained consideration in 1999 as the primary feminine cadet to graduate from Charleston’s Citadel navy academy. In 2014, she ran a long-shot Senate marketing campaign towards Lindsey Graham, incomes simply 6%. She didn’t win, however she made herself identified.
Trump later employed her to spice up his 2016 South Carolina main effort—at a time when few Republicans wished to be seen with him. After a quick stint within the state legislature, she flipped a Democratic-held congressional seat in 2020.
Since then, Mace has cynically reinvented herself a number of occasions. She’s aligned with Trump, damaged away from him, then rejoined when it suited her. She’s referred to as herself a centrist on some subjects, then embraced the far proper. All through, she has prioritized her personal pursuits.
Latest polls recommend she may enter the first with a slight benefit, however there is no such thing as a clear front-runner but. With 2026 more likely to be a difficult cycle for Republicans, this race might provide an early glimpse of what the post-Trump GOP will appear like within the South—if that exists in any respect.
