SC Congressman Joe Wilson endorses GOP challenger Katie Arrington over Rep. Nancy Mace
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson wants to work with someone else in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
The longtime South Carolina lawmaker on Thursday endorsed Katie Arrington in her GOP primary race against U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, taking the unusual step of intervening in a contentious party primary that’s playing out in his home state.
Wilson said he is supporting Arrington, a former state lawmaker who most recently worked for the Department of Defense, because she is “a proven fighter” who recognizes the importance of national defense, while also upholding conservative principles.
“As murderers and enemies of freedom grow emboldened by the feeble leadership of the Biden Administration, Washington needs more people who understand the significant implications of a weak America on the world stage. That’s why I am endorsing Katie Arrington for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st district,” Wilson said in a statement, which was shared first with The State newspaper.
“Katie is a proven fighter for our conservative principles of limited government with expanded freedom which provides for a strong national defense and the safeguarding of our border,” Wilson continued.
Wilson, who was born in Charleston, went on to call Arrington “a tireless advocate for our veterans and military” who he said will reduce taxes and help create more small business jobs.
“I support Katie Arrington because I know she will make a difference working for the families of South Carolina,” Wilson said.
He concluded by saying that he looks forward to seeing Arrington as the next representative for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
In a statement of her own, Arrington said she “could not be more honored” to have Wilson’s support.
A source on the Arrington campaign confirmed Wilson plans to hold a fundraiser for Arrington and also plans to campaign with her.
Arrington called Wilson “a fearless fighter for the people of South Carolina” and noted his work as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.
“I am grateful to have his endorsement, and I look forward to working with him to advocate for the people of our great state,” Arrington said.
Wilson’s decision to wade into the Republican primary for Charleston’s seat in Congress is highly unusual in South Carolina, where most sitting Republican lawmakers either adopt an unspoken pledge of neutrality during the primary season or line up behind their fellow GOP incumbents.
Wilson, a Springdale Republican who drew national attention for shouting “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s 2009 address to a joint session of Congress, has instead decided to throw out the political rule book again by openly supporting a primary challenger to one of his own colleagues.
Mace, a freshman lawmaker from Daniel Island who in 2020 became the first Republican woman elected to Congress in the state, has now become a top political target of former President Donald Trump this election cycle.
In the immediate aftermath of the deadly Jan. 6 attack last year on the U.S. Capitol, Mace drew the ire of the former president and some Republicans after she became one of Trump’s most vocal and prolific critics within the Republican Party.
While Mace has drawn two GOP challengers, her chief rival in the primary fight is Arrington, who famously unseated U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford in a 2018 GOP primary after she made loyalty to Trump the centerpiece of her campaign.
She went on to lose to Democrat Joe Cunningham in the general election, marking the first time in nearly 40 years that the seat slipped out of Republican control.
Arrington is once again pitching herself to voters as a staunch supporter of Trump and received the former president’s endorsement one day after she announced her candidacy. She has also characterized Mace as a disloyal Republican who is more interested in fame than doing the job she was elected to do.
The news of Wilson’s endorsement in the contest came as a surprise, since there had been no public feuding between him and Mace.
Shortly after Mace got to Congress, the two South Carolina Republicans, along with fellow S.C. GOP Rep. Ralph Norman, introduced the Parris Island Protection Act, which prohibits the use of federal funds to close or plan the closure of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
And as recently as last weekend, Mace and Wilson posed for a photo together at South Carolina’s only PGA TOUR golf tournament, the RBC Heritage. In the photo, which was shared by Mace’s congressional Twitter account, Mace is laughing next to Wilson.
Hours after Wilson announced his support for Arrington, the Mace campaign issued a statement to The State newspaper.
“Joe Wilson is the reason we need term limits in Congress. Conservative groups rate him the most liberal Republican Congressman from South Carolina. Of course he endorses the most liberal Republican in the primary, who voted for the largest tax increase in SC history,” said Austin McCubbin, Mace’s campaign manager.
Wilson, who has represented South Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District for more than two decades, is the latest high-profile Republican to pick a favorite in one of the state’s most closely watched GOP primary contests.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Mace just days before Trump endorsed Arrington. Mick Mulvaney, who held multiple positions during the Trump administration, including the former president’s acting White House chief of staff, has also lined up behind Mace.
Meanwhile, Arrington has secured support from other Trump-era officials, like Richard “Ric” Grenell, who served as Trump’s acting director of National Intelligence.
Arrington, who has falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, also has the backing of Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a top Trump ally who has repeatedly promoted unfounded claims of election fraud.
The dueling endorsements in the contest, along with a contentious back-and-forth text exchange that surfaced between Arrington and Mulvaney, illustrate how high the stakes are in a primary contest that could be a critical test of whether Trump’s influence over the GOP is here to stay.
Wilson, by contrast, drew no Republican primary challengers as he seeks reelection to South Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes all of Aiken and Barnwell counties as well as parts of Orangeburg, Lexington and Richland counties.
Wilson has held the seat since 2001.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
