Rep. Nancy Mace Enters Race for South Carolina Governor

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said on Aug. 4 that she is launching a gubernatorial bid.

“I’m running to be the Governor of South Carolina!” Mace, 47, said in a post on Facebook. “God’s not done with South Carolina, and neither am I. You and me. Our mission begins now.”

Mace enters a crowded field that includes Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, is in his second term. In South Carolina, governors can only serve two consecutive four-year terms.

Mace said in a video that “something’s broken in South Carolina.”

Mace’s campaign website presents plans to “cut down on sanctuary sheriffs” and ensure illegal immigrants are deported, slash the state income tax to zero, make South Carolina “energy independent,” work to prevent males from playing in women’s sports, and enable parents to choose the school their children attend.

“Every parent should have the right to choose the educational path that’s best for their child,” a statement on Mace’s website reads. “Limiting choice limits opportunity. In South Carolina, school choice means every child gets a fair shot at the American Dream.

Mace was a state lawmaker when she won the 2020 election to represent South Carolina’s First Congressional District, which includes a portion of Charleston and most of South Carolina’s coastline.

Mace won reelection in 2022 with 56.3 percent of the vote and won a further term in 2024 with 58.3 percent of the vote.

McMaster won the 2022 election with 58 percent of the vote, and President Donald Trump won 58 percent of the vote in South Carolina in the 2024 presidential election.

Political handicappers such as The Cook Political Report rate the state as solid Republican.

Norman, 72, announced his gubernatorial campaign, unveiling a platform that includes fixing roads and other infrastructure, enacting policies that focus on school choice, and imposing term limits on state legislators.

Norman has been endorsed by former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Other Republicans who have formally entered the race include state Sen. Josh Kimbrell and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

In a survey carried out in July of 1,200 registered voters, with a margin of error of 2.7 percent, 16 percent of Republican voters selected Mace in a hypothetical GOP primary.

Wilson came in second with 15 percent, and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette was third with 8 percent.

The survey was conducted by Targoz Market Research for the South Carolina Policy Council.

No Democrats have entered the race, although state Rep. Jermaine Johnson Sr. has formed a committee to explore a run.

In the survey, 5 percent of voters who identify as Democrats chose Johnson, and another 5 percent selected state Sen. Jeffrey Graham when asked who they would support if a Democratic primary were held that day.