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Some elected officials ascend to the upper echelons of influence the easy way. These glass-jawed politicians run in non-competitive districts – or are lucky enough to draw weak opponents in competitive races. Others have their paths to power cleared for them by monied elites – or are monied elites themselves with enough cash to purchase their clout.
A different breed of leaders have to fight to get where they are. They work their way up from nothing – grinding for every inch of ground in hard-fought elections that come down to the wire.
Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina is in the latter camp – having carved out an expanding sphere of influence in the Lowcountry region of the Palmetto State by overcoming seemingly insurmountable electoral obstacles year after year.
After vanquishing a trio of GOP primary opponents in the race for the Palmetto State’s first congressional district in 2020, Mace narrowly defeated Democrat incumbent Joe Cunningham that fall – recapturing the seat for the GOP. During the 2022 cycle, Mace’s odds were even longer. The newly minted incumbent drew a Republican primary challenger who was endorsed by Donald Trump. After a hard-fought victory in that primary, she handily beat back a credible, well-funded Democrat opponent in November – pediatrician Annie Andrews.
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This cycle began with another existential threat – an effort by GOP house speaker Kevin McCarthy to take Mace out for failing to toe the party line. Mace enraged the Washington swamp last fall when she joined seven other GOP lawmakers in voting to oust McCarthy. Her response to the swamp’s criticism? She wore a scarlet letter to the U.S. Capitol.
Prior to that vote, Mace went against GOP leaders on a vote to raise the debt ceiling – and rebuked them on a spending bill which contained mass amnesty provisions.
With the GOP establishment gunning for her, Mace trounced its well-heeled status quo challenger Catherine Templeton in the primary by nearly thirty percentage points. And last night, in her third congressional general election, Mace obliterated Democrat Michael B. Moore with a staggering 58.2 percent of the vote.
Swing district? Not anymore…
Mace’s curb-stomping of her Democrat rival was just the beginning, though. In deep blue Charleston County, the incumbent Republican drew 55.5 percent of the vote – an incredibly strong showing in a county that was carried by Kamala Harris. But there was another name on the ballot in this Democratic stronghold which truly showcased Mace’s growing strength.
In the county sheriff’s race, Mace endorsed Republican challenger Carl Ritchie – the former police chief of Mount Pleasant, S.C. Ritchie defeated incumbent Democrat Kristin Graziano by nearly three percentage points yesterday, drawing 51 percent of the vote to Graziano’s 48.3 percent.
Mace drew a bead on Graziano during the election for “aligning herself with leftwing extremists who encourage chaos at our borders, all while violent crime surges in our own backyard.” By branding Graziano as a “sanctuary sheriff,” Mace and her allies convinced independents and Democrats to kick the incumbent out of office.
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That’s a huge scalp on the wall… and Mace is the one who put it there.
“I will stand resolute against all those who would leave us lawless, self-serving and short-sighted,” Mace said on election night. “I will stand in their way and tell them ‘hell no.'”
As for her own victory, an ebullient Mace said she was “going back to Washington to stand with South Carolina in my heart.”
“When I think about the world my children will inherit, I aim to be a giant, standing tall to inspire the next generation to do more than any of us could ever imagine,” she said. “We’re going to secure our border, take back what it means to be a woman, and fight for our country.”
As Mace returns to the U.S. Capitol, many suspect she is eyeing a possible bid for governor of South Carolina in 2026. Trump’s victory will mean a radical reshaping of the Palmetto State’s Republican power structure, and depending on how certain dominos fall – frontrunner status in the governor’s race could conceivably fall into her lap.
Even if she has to fight for that mantle, Mace made it clear she’s ready to rumble.
“Those who underestimate me, (they) don’t bother me,” she said. “It just makes me work harder. It also just makes victory so much sweeter. And to anyone who wants to take a shot at me — you better not miss.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.
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8 comments
Nancy is a boss. Great job Mace!
The only giant thing Mace will ever be is a giant cunt.
You know those Democrats did have some good ideas… like stacking the Supreme Court and ending the fillibuster.
Funny how you commie leftist men always crow about women’s rights, empowerment in the workforce and public affairs, and believing them when they say they have been abused – unless the accused is the Vice President’s husband or the President’s degenerate son. Or the woman is a conservative – then you call them disgusting things.
You are so right about the Supreme Court and the filibuster. I think Trump and the GOP led Congress should expand it and the new GOP lead Senate should adopt the filibuster ban- after all, that’s what you Maoist crazies have been calling for for the last 8 years.
“Commie left”… me??? You must be new around here. I’ve just had the opportunity to be around Mace more than you have. Anyone who’s been around her will tell you the same thing as I said, there’s a reason why she’s on husband… what is it now, 4?
I bet squishy moans when he wipes.
Nancy is a nuisance but at least she’s “our nuisance” and generally remembers that she represents South Carolinians. Helping to rid Mount Pleasant of Graziano is certainly a job well done but her best wins was her defeat of the “ocean engineer” Cunnigham and her curb stomping of Templeton.
It’s been amazing to watch Nancy. In the beginning I thought she was just a figurehead….1st woman Citadel graduate, etc. but she proved me wrong and I’m so proud to be from SC with her as an example of who we are. Proud Patriots.
So what has Nancy accomplished in Congress that wasn’t performative “border security” fluff other than calling attention to her big chesty A adulteress self?