Nancy Mace wins South Carolina primary amid GOP backlash

Rep. Nancy Mace has won the Republican primary for her House seat in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, fending off a challenger from within her own party, according to Decision Desk HQ. 

Mace defeated Catherine Templeton, avoiding a runoff and inching her campaign closer to securing another term in the lower chamber, even as she faced blowback from some members of her party.

The incumbent has long been favored to win reelection, but tough competition from Templeton and a third GOP candidate on the ballot made her path to the GOP nod less secure and raised the possibility of a runoff. 

Mace had the advantage of an endorsement from former President Trump, which came after she threw her support behind him even though she’s been critical of him in the past. Mace has defended the shift in her support, but her House race rivals have knocked her over it. 

She has also been facing broader backlash from within the GOP over her vote to oust ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), as well as over allegations of flip-flopping on key issues. Meanwhile, her Capitol Hill office has seen high turnover.

Groups linked to McCarthy have been involved with efforts to elevate Templeton as the former Speaker feuds with GOP lawmakers who voted for his removal.

Mace will now face the winner of the Democratic primary in November, but the district isn’t likely to leave Republican hands. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report shifted the district into the “solid Republican” column last month.