SC’s Gov. McMaster endorses incumbent Nancy Mace for Congress House seat: ‘A fighter.’

Gov. Henry McMaster endorsed incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, calling her a “fighter,” and said she has stood firm for the first congressional district.

“She has stood with me every time I’ve asked,” McMaster said in a video released to Mace’s campaign on June 4.

“In the months to come, we must all stand firm against the illegal, unconstitutional excesses of the Biden administration and other corrupt officials,” he said. “For these reasons and more, I am today announcing my full support for Nancy Mace for congress.”

Mace is supported by multiple other powerful Republican figures, including former President Donald Trump, who called her a “strong conservative voice,” for South Carolina’s 1st District. She is also backed from U.S House Speaker Mike Johnson. Mace was one of eight hard-liners who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October 2023.

The incumbent congresswoman is running against two other Republicans in the June 11 primary. Her opponents are Catherine Templeton, former leader of the DHEC, and Bill Young, a Marine veteran.

Templeton was endorsed Tuesday by Congressman Joe Wilson, who is the longest serving GOP member of the U.S. House from South Carolina. He also endorsed Mace’s former challenger, Katie Arrington, in 2022. Templeton has also been endorsed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

McMaster has endorsed only a few other candidates for congress, including incumbent William Timmons, who is running against State Rep. Adam Morgan, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, in the fourth congressional district. McMaster also endorsed Sheri Biggs for the third congressional district, where Congressman Jeff Duncan is not seeking re-election.

This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 10:53 AM.