For the second consecutive election, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has successfully navigated a significant primary challenge.
The Associated Press projected on Tuesday that Mace would secure renomination in South Carolina’s competitive Low Country-based 1st Congressional District, defeating Catherine Templeton, a former director of South Carolina’s labor agency who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, and Marine Corps veteran Bill Young.
Templeton received substantial financial backing from outside groups aligned with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“We did it – You, Lowcountry voters did it! A thousand times over – THANK YOU!” Mace wrote in a social media post shortly after her victory was confirmed.
Mace, who was first elected to the House in 2020, overcame a Republican primary challenge two years ago from a candidate backed by 45th President Trump. Trump had targeted Mace after she blamed him for the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters seeking to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Fast forward two years and Mace now enjoys Trump’s support after endorsing him and campaigning for him earlier this year in South Carolina’s critical GOP presidential primary.
However, unlike two years ago, when then-Speaker McCarthy supported her, McCarthy targeted Mace this time around. Last year, Mace was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, prompting him to seek revenge by working against these lawmakers.
Approximately $9 million was spent on advertising for the primary, according to national ad tracking firm AdImpact. Nearly half of the money came from McCarthy-aligned outside groups targeting Mace.
Mace, who also had the backing of Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and current House Speaker Mike Johnson, benefited from roughly $3 million in outside spending on her behalf.
Templeton was supported by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Joe Wilson of the neighboring 2nd Congressional District.
Mace has faced controversy, with several of her congressional staffers resigning late last year and earlier this year. Additionally, a former chief of staff briefly launched a primary challenge against her.
If none of the three candidates in the GOP primary had secured a majority in Tuesday’s contest, the top two contenders would have faced off in a runoff in two weeks.
On the Democratic side, businessman Michael B. Moore and veteran Mac Deford competed for their party’s nomination in the 1st District.