She describes herself as Trump “in heels” and is embroiled in an ugly legal battle with her ex over alleged sexual abuse.
Now, controversial MAGA Congresswoman Nancy Mace has set her sights on being the next governor of South Carolina, announcing her long-awaited bid for the state’s top job with a not-so-humble brag about annoying her own colleagues.
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
“The House Republican has drawn the ire of both Democrats and members of her own party,” declares the voice-over in Mace’s campaign video announcement released on Monday morning. “She has a way of getting under their skin…”
Mace indeed has a way of getting under the skin of Republicans. In 2023, for instance, the 47-year-old was one of a small group of GOP rebels who voted to oust then Speaker Kevin McCarthy, in a coup that left Congress paralyzed for days.
She’s also no stranger to the limelight: earlier this year, during a scorched earth speech on the House floor, Mace set off an ongoing legal battle by accusing her former fiancé, Patrick Bryant, and three other men of sexual misconduct, allegations that the men have repeatedly denied.
Tensions escalated in May, when an explosive deposition by her former political adviser claimed she planned to use naked photos found on her ex’s phone as leverage for two lucrative properties she wanted him to give her.
And last month, attorneys representing a company owned by Bryant filed a scathing motion in court accusing Mace of leveraging her platform to “delegitimize public officials and institutions” while simultaneously shielding herself from accountability.
However, Mace makes no apologies for her firebrand nature, declaring during her campaign launch on Monday: “I wasn’t built to kiss the ring – I just wear one.”
“I didn’t come to join the club. They don’t want me, and I don’t want them,” she said in a speech at the Citadel, the Charleston military college where she made history as the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets.
“I came to hold the line. They said stay quiet; I spoke up. They said sit down; I stood up. They said play nice, and I fought back.”
Mace now joins a crowded field in the GOP primary race to succeed term-limited Governor Henry McMaster.
Her platform includes “banning pronouns in the classroom,” creating “tech free school zones”, and her pet project: preventing transgender women from using women’s restrooms or entering women’s sports.
Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate, but Mace’s campaign video includes a clip of the president describing her as “a fighter”.
However, the relationship with Trump has evolved. In 2022, for instance, Trump endorsed Mace’s challenger in the GOP primary for her House seat, describing her as an “absolutely terrible candidate.”
She was also critical of Trump after the January 6 attack at the US Capitol, saying the party should “hold the president accountable.” Now, her pitch is that “South Carolina needs a Governor like Trump but in high heels.”
Mace will face Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Attorney General Alan Wilson and Representative Ralph Norman in the primary.
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