Mace’s former chief of staff files to run against her

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) has a new challenger in her 2024 primary race and it’s someone she knows quite well: her former chief of staff.

Dan Hanlon, who recently left Mace’s office after about two years, filed paperwork Friday with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to challenge Mace in the race for South Carolina’s First Congressional District.

Mace, who has become a controversial figure within the Republican Party, has represented the district since 2021.

Within her first year in office, she experienced a string of staff resignations or firings. Four of the eight employees who worked in the lawmaker’s Washington office left during a tumultuous six-week period between July 1 and Aug. 15, 2021.

Some ex-staffers have described a toxic work environment and has “nothing to do with politics.”

It’s rare for a lawmaker’s former chief of staff to launch a campaign against their former boss. Prior to joining Mace when she took office, Hanlon was a senior official in the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration and worked for former Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), Business Insider, who first broke the news of Hanlon’s filing, reported.

According to Ballotpedia, Mace is also running against Austin Anderson, a 27-year-old Uber driver who declared his candidacy for the GOP primary last February. Michael Moore, a business executive, and attorney Mac Deford, both Democrats, have entered the race as well.

The Hill has reached out to Mace’s office for comment.