Just weeks after winning reelection to her House seat, Rep. Nancy Mace is already looking at a statewide bid in 2026, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said Mace has been discussing two positions: South Carolina governor or a Senate race. (Sen. Lindsey Graham is up for reelection in 2026.)
But three of the sources said Mace is particularly looking at the governor’s seat, which Henry McMaster has held since 2017 when he replaced Nikki Haley after she was appointed to be Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. McMaster is term-limited in 2026 and can’t run again.
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina — who has also said he is looking at primarying Graham in 2026 — told NOTUS he is aware that Mace is considering a run for governor but had not heard it directly from her.
While one of the sources said Mace was also looking at the Senate seat, the other sources emphasized that the governor’s race was more likely since it would be an open seat and she would not have to go against one of Trump’s closest allies.
Mace declined to comment on this story. Axios mentioned Mace last week among the members looking for the exits in the House in 2026.
Mace — the first woman to graduate from The Citadel — came into Congress as a moderate. She was outspoken against Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “I hold him accountable for the events that transpired for the attack on our Capitol,” she said in January 2021.
But as her district shifted to the right, so did Mace — seeking the spotlight at every opportunity.
She teamed up with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and six other Republicans to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. And she’s recently gone after the first openly trans member of Congress, introducing a bill to ban transgender women from using female restrooms in the Capitol. The bill is expected to be part of the rules package for the next Congress.
On Thursday, Mace sought out a bullhorn so she could go to the Capitol Hill police station and yell at those who were arrested for protesting the new bathroom policies.
Protestors came to the Capitol today to protest my bathroom bill. Poor things got arrested. So, I have a special message for them.#HoldTheLine pic.twitter.com/BK88X0BfBa
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) December 5, 2024
During Jan. 6, Mace told her staff that she wanted to go to the Capitol to “get punched in the face” as a way to become a leader in the anti-Trump movement.
But she quickly changed her tune on Trump once it became clear that the former president was the GOP favorite to be elected to the White House again.
Early in the 2024 cycle, she endorsed Trump for president. And Trump returned the favor, endorsing Mace against a McCarthy-backed primary challenger.
(In the wake of her vote to oust McCarthy, the South Carolina Republican had 100% D.C. staff turnover in just a couple of months, and one former staffer described the office as a “toxic” work environment.)
At this point, Mace’s antics for attention are the stuff of legend on Capitol Hill. A Mace staff handbook that The Daily Beast obtained laid out how her staff was required to get her booked on national TV outlets between one and three times per day.
But her strategies appear to be working. Mace was reelected in November by a 17-point margin, her largest margin to date.
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Reese Gorman is a reporter at NOTUS.