GOP firebrand Rep. Mace to run for South Carolina governor

Nancy Mace, a right-wing conservative in the House of Representatives, on Monday morning announced her bid to become the next governor of South Carolina.

“God’s not done with South Carolina, and neither am I. You and me. Our mission begins now,” Mace, R-S.C., wrote in a post to X.

South Carolina’s outgoing governor, Henry McMaster, is prevented by term limits from pursuing another term. The Republican has held the state’s top job since 2017. His term ends on January 13, 2027.

Who is Nancy Mace? She began serving the House in 2021. She represents South Carolina’s 1st congressional district after winning reelection in 2024 by 16%, raising $3.3 million in campaign contributions. Mace was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel—South Carolina’s famed military college. She later earned a master’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Georgia. Mace started a consulting company before attempting to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2013 in an unsuccessful bid for the Senate. She later became a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, where she served from 2019-2020.

In the House of Representatives, Mace has been one of the most outspoken conservatives on topics such as transgenderism, illegal immigration, and media bias. In starting her second term this year, she has only voted against her party 2.3% of the time. However, Mace famously voted to remove U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October of 2023. She was one of only eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to do so. Republicans like Mace believed McCarthy fell short of promises to cut down on government spending. Recently, Mace sparked controversy over her repeated use of the word “tranny” in a Congressional hearing. She used the word while speaking against what she said were attempts to use government funding to sanitize and normalize gender reassignment practices. Despite her outspoken stances on many key Republican issues, she is notably not a member of the House Freedom Caucus—a group of the chamber’s most conservative lawmakers.

Does Mace face any notable Republican competition? Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., announced his own bid for governor last Monday. Norman is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, sits on the powerful House Rules Committee, and is a more established politician than Mace. The race between Norman and Mace presents voters with a more firebrand in Mace, pitting her against Norman, who—although also fiercely conservative on issues like government size and spending—has pursued GOP priorities through less inflammatory rhetoric.

Dig deeper: South Carolina isn’t just important for Republicans. Democrats with an eye towards the White House are already canvassing the state—something that’scaught the attention of WORLD’s Carolina Lumetta.