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The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Nancy Mace's governor bid tees up volatile primary
Rep. Nancy Mace's (R-S.C.) entrance into South Carolina's GOP gubernatorial primary is setting the stage for a tumultuous intraparty battle as five Republicans vie for the state's top executive post. Early polling shows Mace and the state's Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) leading the primary pack, with Mace calling the primary a two-way race between her and Wilson. The two officials already have a contentious history. Earlier this year the congresswoman accused four men of sexual misconduct in a speech on the House floor and accused the state attorney general of not prosecuting the men. However, other contenders, including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), could also have an impact on the race. 'When it comes to our politics, it truly is really cut-throat,' said Alex Stroman, former South Carolina GOP executive director. A South Carolina Policy Council poll released late last month showed Mace leading the crowded field with 16 percent of voters who said they identified as Republicans while Wilson closely trailed at 15 percent. Evette came in with eight percent support, followed by Norman at six percent. State Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R) received three percent support. The same poll showed 52 percent of voters were undecided, suggesting there is ample opportunity for the candidates to bolster their support. The nature of the crowded primary could make it difficult for any candidate to win a majority of voters outright. If no candidates win a majority, the two candidates with the most votes will proceed to a runoff. Additionally, strategists note that most polling at this point of the cycle is about name ID. Mace, who is a Trump critic-turned-vocal-supporter, arguably has the highest name ID in the race. 'I don't sleep. I went to bed at 1 a.m., and I was up at 4 a.m. OK, I am Trump in high heels. I love what I am doing. I mean, he doesn't sleep,' Mace said at her campaign's first town hall in Myrtle Beach this week. The congresswoman is an outspoken opponent of transgender rights, making headlines late last year for introducing legislation that would ban transgender women from using women's restrooms in the U.S. Capitol following the election of the first openly transgender Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.). Mace also made waves during a contentious interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos when she accused him of shaming her for being a rape victim. Stephanopoulos had asked Mace how she could endorse Trump, who has been found liable for sexual battery in his defamation lawsuit with E. Jean Carroll. One national GOP operative working on South Carolina races noted that Mace's status as an outspoken, firebrand figure will not be enough to ensure a victory. 'Crazy wins the attention in the primary, but that's not going to translate into votes,' the operative noted. Mace and Wilson's feud is likely to be a defining part of the race, with both candidates escalating their attacks on the campaign trail. During an appearance on Fox News' Brian Kilmeade Show, Mace accused Wilson of being too lenient on violent offenders, including child sex abusers. Wilson has defended his record on the issue as attorney general while hitting back at Mace. 'It's obvious to me that Congresswoman Mace thinks a lot more about me than I think about her,' Wilson said in an interview with The Hill on Friday. 'You can always tell how you're doing in a crowded race when one of the candidates only talks about you and spends all of their time obsessing and lying about their record.' 'People do not get attacked when they are irrelevant and apparently I am incredibly relevant to some of my opponents in this race,' he continued. Wilson's father, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), also has bad blood with Mace. The congressman notably endorsed Mace's previous primary challengers in 2022 and 2024. The elder Wilson issued a scathing statement against Mace earlier this week, calling her 'a party of one' in the Republican Conference. Mace hit back in her own statement, saying 'South Carolina deserves a fighter, not a dynasty.' Some Republicans note that while early polling shows Mace and Wilson as the early frontrunners, their ongoing feud comes with the risk of their campaigns cannibalizing each other. 'They're going to kill each other because they can't help it,' said the national GOP operative working on South Carolina races. 'They're going to create an opening for either Pam or Ralph, or maybe both of them.' Unlike Mace, Norman and Kimbrell, Wilson and Evette can more easily run on South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster's (R) record given their roles in the executive branch. McMaster, who has been governor since 2015, holds a 43 percent approval rating. '[Evette] is the one who run on the McMaster record,' said the national GOP operative working on South Carolina races. 'They're all attacking Columbia and the government and they don't realize how popular McMaster is.' Wilson argued that the attorney's general office, which he has held since 2011, is 'the most consequential elected position in state government.' 'I have gone and been involved in hundreds of legal actions both during the Biden and Obama administrations, so when I say something and I back it up in court, it has a real impact on people's lives,' he said, adding that the office of lieutenant governor is 'a ceremonial position.' 'That is not the fault of the current occupant,' he said, referring to Evette. Additionally, it's been over a decade since there was an open South Carolina governor's primary, meaning the party's candidates find themselves in somewhat unchartered territory. 'We haven't had a true open governor's race in 16 years,' Stroman said. 'I think everyone is trying to figure out what do South Carolina voters actually care about.' One thing that is known is how valuable Trump's endorsement will be in the race. 'He is a consequential voice in South Carolina party politics,' Wilson said. 'Of course everybody running for governor of South Carolina wants the president's endorsement. I'm no different but at the end of the day, I think that people have to earn the president's endorsement.' Many members of Evette's staff are former Trump staffers and have had ties to the president's political operation. 'All of the candidates in the race think they're the Trump candidate,' Stroman said. 'But I think Evette actually lands the endorsement.'
The Hill
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Mace leading South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary polling
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who has teased a run for governor in South Carolina, is leading a hypothetical 2026 GOP gubernatorial field in new polling. The survey from the nonpartisan research organization South Carolina Policy Council found Mace with 16 percent support from Republican-identifying voters — 1 point ahead of Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), who launched his campaign last month. Lt. Gov. Pam Evette (R) earned 8 percent, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) snagged 6 percent and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell was at 3 percent. At the same time, a little more than half of respondents — 52 percent — were still undecided. 'I will be making a decision over the next couple of days about my future,' Mace told Fox News over the weekend. 'I believe I may be forced to run for governor because I can't watch my beautiful red state of South Carolina go woke. It's gone woke over the last couple of years.' On Monday, she posted a graphic promising a 'special announcement' and 'big things ahead.' Mace would enter a crowded GOP primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster (R) in the Palmetto State, but framed the election as a potential face-off against Wilson. 'This is a two-man race, if I get in, between me and Alan Wilson, the South Carolina attorney general, who likes to put pedophiles on trial and give them one day in jail,' the congresswoman said. Mace flipped South Carolina's 1st Congressional District to GOP control in 2020, and won reelection by double digits last year. A staunch supporter of President Trump, Mace backed him in the 2024 GOP presidential primary over her fellow South Carolinian, former Gov. Nikki Haley (R), who has notably endorsed Norman in the gubernatorial race. On the Democratic side, 83 percent in the new South Carolina Policy Council poll were undecided, with potential contenders scoring just 5 percent or less. Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson launched an exploratory committee for the 2026 race last month. Cook Political Report rates the open race as solid Republican, and whoever wins the Republican primary next year is seen as the heavy favorite to win the November election. The poll of 1,200 registered voters statewide, conducted by Targoz Market Research from July 21-25, has a margin of error of 2.77 percentage points. Norman had not yet launched when the poll was in the field.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Most South Carolinians approve of how state legislature is handling its job, poll finds
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – More than half of South Carolina voters approve of how the state legislature handled its job in the first weeks of the 2025 session, according to a new poll. The poll, commissioned by the South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC), found that 55% of registered voters surveyed said they somewhat or strongly approve of the General Assembly's job performance, while 39% said they disapprove. Republicans emerged from the November elections with veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers, delivering them an even easier path to broadly implement their agenda. 'We obviously have had a big change over the past election cycle,' said SCPC CEO Michael Burris. 'You've seen newcomers come in and replace some folks who have been there for a long time. So I think there's optimism about the legislature and its current new format.' The poll of 1,200 registered voters found widespread support for many of the policy changes Republicans are already pursuing or have signaled as priorities, including expanding school choice programs and cutting taxes. House GOP leaders have promised to deliver 'historic' tax cuts this session, a vow backed by Gov. Henry McMaster who has called for an accelerated tax cut that would lower the state's income tax rate from 6.2% to 6%. 'We should not stop at 6 percent… until we can eliminate the personal income tax for our people, all together,' McMaster said during his annual State of the State address. That proposal is widely backed by South Carolinians, according to the poll. 75% of people said they support 'greatly reducing' the state's income tax and 62% said they favor ending it entirely. Tax reform is also outlined in SCPC's legislative agenda, which the research firm describes as a set of reforms aimed at 'promoting and protecting the principles of limited government and individual liberties, free markets, and traditional South Carolina values.' 'South Carolina has the largest [income tax] in the southeast by a pretty wide margin,' Burris said. 'So how are we going to reduce the state income tax or eliminate it? But at the same time, you also have to go into spending, right? If you're going to reduce revenue, you have to go into spending and there are cuts to be made.' New poll shows majority of South Carolinians want a more competitive energy sector Voters also said they want reforms to the state's tort laws, changes that are currently under consideration as the upper chamber examines liquor liability issues. Currently, South Carolina allows for joint and several liability, meaning defendants in a civil lawsuit who are found more than 50% at fault can be held responsible for paying the full amount of a victim's damages. A majority of voters said they believe the current law is unfair and 62% support shifting to a model in which parties are only held responsible for financial damages that are proportional to their share of fault. That issue was the subject of a Feb. 6 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting during which lawmakers heard testimony from both sides. Advocates for the current law argued it ensures victims, especially those in alcohol-related incidents, are compensated properly. Others labeled the policy as misguided, characterizing the state's judicial tort system as 'broken.' The poll further measured voters' attitudes toward other issues from infrastructure and energy to judicial reform to capital punishment and government transparency. Burris said the policy group plans to share the results with all state legislators this week to help them identify what South Carolinians want to be addressed in Columbia. 'This poll is a resource for our lawmakers,' Burris said, adding that the group has 'great relationships' with Democrats and Republicans. 'It's great for our great for our citizens to read and understand how their fellow citizenry feels about these issues, but really we wanted to get in the lawmakers' hands, because the Policy Council, we're trying to be a resource,' he continued. The poll was conducted from Jan. 22 to Jan. 31 by Targoz Market Research, with a margin of error of 2.77%. Of the participants, 50% self-identified as Republican, 33% as Democrat, and 15% as Independent. Burris said they hope to conduct another poll after the session ends in June, which may also include a look at the 2026 race for governor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
