Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is mulling a run for South Carolina governor, her spokesperson confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday.
During a recent interview, Mace said she’s “seriously considering” a bid to replace term-limited Governor Henry McMaster (R).
“I’ve been in the state legislature before, I have great relationships in Washington now, and I’ve acquired the leadership necessary to be bold, to make sure that we are moving forward with conservative policies,” she told the AP.
“I have made a difference in the work that I have done up here, and know that I could do even more at the state level,” she added.
Mace represents South Carolina’s Lowcountry in the 1st Congressional District.
The next South Carolina gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026, and McMaster is ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.
The South Carolina congresswoman occasionally sparred with President Donald Trump over the years before endorsing him in the 2024 race over former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
“I don’t see eye to eye perfectly with any candidate. And until now I’ve stayed out of it. But the time has come to unite behind our nominee,” Mace said in a post last January when announcing her endorsement of Trump in the primary.
“To be honest, it’s been a complete shit show since he left the White House. Our country needs to reverse all the damage Joe Biden has done,” she added.
Mace recently found herself in the spotlight after introducing the “Protecting Women’s Private Spaces Act” in November 2024, aiming to prohibit biological men from using women’s bathrooms and similar facilities in all federal buildings. This legislative move followed her earlier resolution targeting the use of women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol, which coincided with the election of Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first openly transgender member of Congress.
The lawmaker began receiving death threats in response to introducing the resolution. (RELATED: Nancy Mace Receives Death Threats Over Resolution On Women’s Facilities In Capitol)
In an interview with NewsNation’s Leland Vittert, Mace defended her position against criticism, including from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who opposed the resolution.
“It’s the height of gaslighting to have this guy, a man, Hakeem Jeffries, try to bully me into submission,” Mace said. “Look, I am a rape survivor, I’m a survivor of sexual violence and abuse, and I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces. At the end of the day, the question is: do women have rights or not? This issue doesn’t stop on Capitol Hill—it’s happening across the country.”
Mace, who has described herself as socially moderate, expressed strong feelings about protecting women’s spaces. “At some point, we have to draw a line with this insanity, and this is a big, fat red line for me,” she added.
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