Rep. Nancy Mace runs for S.C. governor in crowded GOP primary
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- United States Representative Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announced her run for South Carolina governor Monday morning to succeed Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.
"This morning, I'm making it official. I am running to be your governor of the great state of South Carolina," Mace said in an announcement Monday morning at The Citadel, where she became the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets program in 1999.
Mace, 47, first came to Congress in 2021. She has developed a reputation as a GOP firebrand in recent months.
Mace told Fox News last week that she was leaning toward running for state-wide office, citing economic issues, crime and "gender-bending ideology" at colleges in the state.
Mace will run against fellow Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., state Attorney General Alan Wilson, R, state Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R, in the primary.
Mace told Fox News that if she launched a gubernatorial bid, she and Wilson would run a "two-man race."
"If I get in, I will fight to the finish, and I will take out South Carolina's attorney general, because he's turned a blind eye on women and on children and on the state for a lot of reasons. He might force me to do this," Mace said.
"South Carolina is tired of the politicians who smile for the cameras, lie to your face, and then vanish when it's time to lead," she said.
A poll released by the South Carolina Policy Council showed Mace narrowly leading Wilson in the primary among Republican-identifying voters.
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