Mace in the Race: South Carolina Lawmaker Seeking GOP Nod for Governor

Rep. Nancy Mace on Monday announced her candidacy in an already crowded field for the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina. 

“I’m running for governor because South Carolina doesn’t need another empty suit and needs a governor who will fight for you and your values,” Mace said in her announcement speech. 

“South Carolina needs a governor who will drag the truth into sunlight and flip the tables, if that’s what it takes,” the third-term congresswoman added.

Other Republicans running for the nomination: Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell.

Mace, 47, emphasized that her priorities as governor would be cracking down on crime, cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, and improving South Carolina’s education system.

“The traditional track for the traditional student is going to go on to a two- or four-year degree,” the South Carolina congresswoman noted, before emphasizing that there was an opportunity to expand training in the trades.

“But we need a second or well-defined track with greater requirements, and if a student isn’t going to make it to college, that they make it to get certified in a vocation, whether that’s plumbing, carpentry, as an electrician or a welder, or getting their [certified dietary manager] or getting their cosmetology degree,” Mace explained. 

She also promised to prevent taxpayer dollars from supporting schools that teach that there are more than two genders. Mace drew plenty of news coverage when she sponsored a resolution last November to ban male members of Congress, officers, and employees from using the restrooms designated for females in the House of Representatives. 

The South Carolina congresswoman sought to emphasize the fact that she was a serious lawmaker as well as a social media star.

“What the media will tell you they want, they want to write articles about my memes and my pajamas, but they won’t tell you, I’m actually in the top 1.59% of members of Congress who write policy and legislation,” the lawmaker contended. Mace has been criticized by some political commentators for posting social media content while wearing pajamas.

Mace also said improving the South Carolina infrastructure and economy would be another top priority of her governorship if elected.

“We’re going to accelerate and support the acceleration of infrastructure development, pipelines, [liquefied natural gas] transmission to leverage South Carolina’s resources, attract talent and draw power-intensive industries like [artificial intelligence] data centers and advanced manufacturing,” the South Carolina congresswoman expounded. 

Mace, who was the first female graduate of the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, comes from a line of public service. Mace’s father, retired Brig. Gen. James Emory Mace, served as the commandant of cadets at the South Carolina military college. Her mother was a schoolteacher.

The younger Mace has a master’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Georgia. She was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2018 serving in that role until November 2020. She then defeated Democrat incumbent Rep. Joe Cunningham in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in 2020. The district includes parts of Charleston and includes Myrtle Beach, a popular tourist destination.

In the House of Representatives, Mace has served on the Armed Services, Oversight and Accountability, and Veterans Affairs committees. She is the chairwoman of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation.

On the Democrat side, South Carolina state Rep. Jermaine Johnson has announced that he’s exploring a run for governor, but the Palmetto State hasn’t elected a Democrat governor since 1998. President Donald Trump won South Carolina by about 17 points in the 2024 presidential election, which suggests that whoever wins the Republican primary will likely replace term-limited incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster.

The post Mace in the Race: South Carolina Lawmaker Seeking GOP Nod for Governor appeared first on The Daily Signal.