Ex-Trump SC director quits Mace campaign. Will it sway president’s endorsement?
A Nancy Mace senior adviser on her campaign for governor resigned Monday and said President Donald Trump should take the Lowcountry congresswoman off his list for consideration for his endorsement.
In a lengthy post on X, Austin McCubbin, who was Trump’s South Carolina director in the 2024 campaign and Mace’s campaign manager in 2022, said Mace has aligned herself with an anti-Trump wing of the Republican Party, specifically U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, who has been a frequent critic of the president.
Last month the Rand Paul-affiliated Protect Freedom Political Action Committee began spending money to benefit Mace, McCubbin said. Figures obtained The State newspaper show the PAC has spent $456,000 on ad buys in South Carolina.
“I had no prior knowledge of that, and campaigns can’t control outside spending. I chalked it up to nothing but independent activity,” McCubbin said in a social media post. “When I talked to Nancy last Wednesday, it became clear she has fully embraced the Rand Paul PAC. She told me she is directing a personal friend to fund a 7-figure check to Rand’s PAC. She distanced herself, and now she’s fully embracing the Rand Paul (and) Thomas Massie wing for money.”
When reached for comment, McCubbin declined to comment further about Mace’s campaign.
Much of the 2026 Republican campaign for South Carolina governor has been about who could win Trump’s endorsement.
McCubbin said his decision to leave the Mace campaign is out of loyalty to the president and said the president should not support her campaign for governor.
“Governor (Henry) McMaster has been a great governor. He has been very loyal to the president. South Carolina needs someone cut from the same cloth, where you know their word is their bond,” McCubbin posted. “My advice to the president, my friends in the White House and South Carolina Trump voters: scratch her name from the list.”
When reached for comment, the Mace campaign shot back at McCubbin.
“Mr. McCubbin didn’t raise a dime for the campaign or better yet, never even bothered showing up. When he demanded $10,000 a month for ‘services’ and was told no, he ran straight to X. Good luck with that,” a campaign spokesperson said in a text message to The State. “Nancy Mace has stood with President Trump since day one. Mr. McCubbin said it himself: ‘Nancy Mace will be the most pro-Trump and America First Governor in the country.’”
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 1:51 PM.
