Scrappy Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican, made a huge announcement on Monday about the future of her career in politics. Mace is launching a bid for the South Carolina gubernatorial seat, a field that continues to grow more crowded by the day.
Others who are gunning for the office include Rep. Ralph Norman, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, and current State Sen. Josh Kimbrell. All of these folks will be duking it out alongside Mace in the Republican Party primary in 2026.
Mace delivered the news as part of an address to supporters at an early morning rally held at The Citadel, which she herself once attended.
“I’m running for governor because South Carolina doesn’t need another empty suit. It needs a governor who will fight for you and your values,” Mace told the crowd. “South Carolina needs a governor who will drag the truth into sunlight and flip the tables if that’s what it takes.”
She then added, “I’ve walked into firestorms, and I’ve come out swinging.”
This is true. A number of controversies have popped up around Mace, mostly concerning statements she’s made on a variety of topics. One specific example is when she cracked a sex joke during a prayer breakfast in 2023. During the prayer, she said she skipped having a romp in the sack with her fiancé in order to make it on time to the event, the New York Post reported.
The remark deeply offended many Christians and conservatives, especially those who hold to the belief that sex outside of marriage is a violation of God’s law. Later, Mace said she meant no disrespect and was just being funny, but critics saw things differently, accusing her of being flippant in a religious setting.
South Carolina’s current governor, Henry McMaster, also a Republican, has served in the position since 2017. He is term-limited and unable to run for another term in November 2026.
“In a video Mace posted on X Monday morning, the Republican emphasized how she has drawn the ire of both Democrats and Republicans and showed clips of President Donald Trump praising her in the past,” the Daily Wire said.
“When she sets her sight on something, she’s tough,” President Trump went on to say of Mace.
I’m running to be the Governor of South Carolina!
God’s not done with South Carolina and neither am I. You and me. Our mission begins now.
South Carolina First. Nancy Mace for Governor.https://t.co/tkO1oN5G0W pic.twitter.com/odvxAKfz5b
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) August 4, 2025
Interestingly, the relationship between Mace and the president has not always been this cordial. In 2022, President Trump endorsed Mace’s opponent during the primary, Katie Arrington, after the congresswoman said that his “entire legacy was wiped out” following the events at the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. Mace ended up defeating Arrington and securing a second term in the House. She was also victorious in 2024, marking her third term in Congress.
“Mace has focused much of her attention on fighting to keep trans-identifying men out of women’s bathrooms. She recently got in a fight over women’s bathrooms with Delaware Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride, a man who identifies as a woman. Shortly after McBride was elected, Mace introduced a resolution banning men from women’s facilities in Congress,” the article continued.
McBride agreed not to use the women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) put out a mandate that said, “Women deserve women’s only spaces.” Sadly, such a statement was once common sense, but it seems those days have left us far, far behind.
Mace found herself in the media spotlight again earlier this year after she shared what she referred to as a “naked silhouette” of herself at a House subcommittee hearing. The congresswoman shared the photograph to address the subject of the hearing, “Breach of Trust: Surveillance in Private Spaces.”
During the proceedings, Mace said that someone took the photo without her consent. She then accused four men of sexual abuse, one of whom was her ex-fiancé. All four have denied any wrongdoing.
“I would run through a brick wall to protect women and girls in South Carolina and to other potential victims, I want you to know I have your back,” Mace stated during the hearing.
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