Rep. Nancy Mace’s attempt to leap from the House of Representatives to the governor’s mansion in South Carolina has more difficulties than Donald Trump ignoring her and endorsing opponent Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.
As part of a Politico interview with the controversial lawmaker, who still considers herself “MAGA” despite the president turning his back on her, one South Carolina GOP insider claimed she has enough personal baggage to give conservative voters pause.
Trump's endorsement of Evette carries decisive weight in South Carolina's reliably Republican environment. Historical voting patterns suggest Evette has effectively secured her place in a runoff, leaving Mace and three other Republicans scrambling for the second ballot spot.
According to the report, the turning point for the GOP lawmaker came in November, when Mace's public meltdown at Charleston Airport generated national headlines. According to an airport authority report, Mace unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at law enforcement officers and TSA agents for failing to meet her at a prearranged pickup location—even as they walked her to her flight.
The incident proved more damaging than expected. "I think the airport thing hurt her more than the [Epstein] thing," said Terry Sullivan, a longtime South Carolina Republican operative unaffiliated in the race. "She's had really strong debate performances, she's articulate, she's right on the issues for these folks, but then she just goes a little haywire."
Mace's response only amplified the damage. Days after the incident, she held a Charleston press conference defending her actions and dismissing the airport authority's report as a "political hit job."
"Did I drop an f-bomb? I hope I did," she said at the time, a statement that drew swift rebukes from fellow South Carolina Republicans. Sen. Tim Scott issued a blistering statement condemning her language and treatment of airport officials. Sen. Lindsey Graham piled on with criticism of his own.
Months later, Mace remains defiant. She attributed her airport confrontations to threats against her safety and the alleged partisan harassment she endures. "I get over a thousand death threats a year, and I'm the only one that doesn't get security when traveling. In fact, the last three times I've had an altercation or been accosted has been at an airport, particularly the Charleston airport, because the left has lost their mind," she told Politico.