By
Ed Kilgore,
political columnist for Intelligencer since 2015
Even in the Donald Trump era, when performative behavior by Republican politicians has become very common, South Carolina’s Nancy Mace has managed to stand out. Her on-again, off-again alliance with Trump and other key political figures has made her career a turbulent legend. But now, in her first statewide race, the chickens have come home to roost. Mace finished fifth in Tuesday’s Republican gubernatorial primary after being snubbed by Trump, and then by voters. Having given up her congressional seat to run, she faces a dismal political future.
Already famous before she entered politics as the first woman ever to graduate from the Citadel, Mace gained early notoriety for her ownership stake (and role as media spokesman) in the wild Palmetto State political site FITSNews. After a forgettable primary challenge to Lindsey Graham in 2014, Mace went on to get involved in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and was soon elected to the state legislature. She ascended to Congress in 2020.
