In less than twelve hours, Rep. Nancy Mace, R.-S.C., will answer the question that Republicans throughout the Palmetto State and many in Washington D.C. have been pondering for weeks: whether she will enter the crowded field of GOP hopefuls vying to succeed termed out Gov. Henry McMaster.
As of Sunday, opinion was divided on whether Mace — who won renomination over well-funded opposition last year running as a hard-core MAGA Republican — will announce at the Citadel Military College of South Carolina (of which she was the first woman graduate) whether she will relinquish her 1st District seat for the governorship.
“I think she does announce tomorrow,” a former top state GOP official told Newsmax. “She told one friend of mine she was running and I’ve seen something that the [on-line advertising] for her speech was registered under Mace for Governor.”
But once that label was publicized by the Associated Press, Mace’s supporters promptly removed it from the website.
Should Mace, 47, make the gubernatorial race, she will face four other well-known Republicans vying to succeed McMaster. Chief among the candidates — at least in Mace’s eyes — is two-term State Attorney General Alan Wilson. In February, the congresswoman stunned many South Carolinians by taking to the House floor to denounce Wilson — complete with a blown-up photograph of the attorney general — for allegedly ignoring evidence of sexual assault against her and other women.
Wilson remonstrated that the allegation “was never made to me — [and to] no one in my office.” He also showed a photograph of Mace talking to him at a college football game a few weeks before and said she never mentioned any allegation.
President Donald Trump’s endorsement was undoubtedly a pivotal factor in her rolling up 56% against two strong opponents in the 2024 primary. But it is unlikely the president would support her in a contest with Wilson, who, along with his father Rep. Joe Wilson, were among the earliest South Carolinian supporters of Trump.
According to a poll of likely Republican primary voters conducted by the South Carolina Policy Council in July, Mace edges Wilson by 16% to 14%, followed by Lieutenant Governor Pam Evette (8%), Rep. Ralph Norman (6%), and State Sen. Josh Kimbrell (3%).
But the same survey showed 52% of likely GOP voters were genuinely undecided, so the race is truly wide open.
Should Mace make the plunge, the early favorite for the GOP nomination to her Charleston-area House seat is two-term State Rep. Tommy Hartnett, namesake-son of the still-loved congressman who represented the 1st District from 1980-86.
The younger Hartnett initially supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president before Trump wrapped up the nomination, which is likely to draw some skepticism about a House candidacy from MAGA activists. Democrats are likely to make a strong bid for the district if it becomes open.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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