GOP hopeful Arrington calls Rep. Mace ‘Liz Cheney of the South’ at SC Trump rally
Shouting and swearing, South Carolina Republican Katie Arrington called incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace “the Liz Cheney of the South” Saturday when she made her first major campaign appearance in the state at a Donald Trump rally.
Arrington, who received Trump’s endorsement two days after she jumped into the race last month, tore into Mace when she got her chance at the microphone. Fighting with whipping winds, Arrington told the crowd she had a speech but it threatened to blow away. “So we’re going to wing it,” she said to cheers.
The Summerville Republican began by introducing herself to the crowd as a “Trump-endorsed, America first candidate” running for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, which is anchored in Charleston.
But after running through her bio, recalling the days of the Trump presidency and sharing her frustrations with President Joe Biden, she soon turned her focus to Mace, the incumbent she is challenging for the GOP nomination.
Arrington called Mace “turncoat” and a “RINO,” a criticism in GOP circles that stands for “Republican in name only.”
“The Liz Cheney of the South,” Arrington shouted, to loud applause.
Cheney, a Wyoming House Republican, has been widely criticized by members of her own party for her criticism of Trump after the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol.
“She turned her back on President Trump. She turned her back on me. She turned her back on you,” Arrington continued. “I don’t know about you, but that makes me mad.”
Mace, who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign, was not among the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. But she was critical of the former president’s response.
Mace has received high-profile endorsements, too. Former Trump administration official and former Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Mace, holding a campaign fundraiser for her Friday night.
Arrington said Saturday she was especially upset by Mace’s decision to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, questioning why lawmakers like Mace couldn’t “send back” the results for review. Mace was the only South Carolina House Republican who voted to certify the election results.
“I find that deplorable, I find that inexcusable,” Arrington said.
Arrington was one of three South Carolina Republican candidates to address thousands of Trump supporters at a Florence rally held by the Trump’s political action committee.
South Carolina’s primary is June 14.
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 5:26 PM.
