Mace, Norman have to be in DC during SC gov race. How they’re offsetting hurdle
Speaking in front of the South Carolina State House in early January as workers took down Christmas decorations, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace stood behind a lectern with an easel behind her to tell reporters about an anti-illegal immigration bill she wanted to be introduced in the state legislature.
“I led the effort to act to oust sanctuary sheriff here in South Carolina, and I want to make sure that South Carolina voters know that it will never happen again on my watch if I’m governor,” Mace said.
Nine days later, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman spoke at a news conference alongside members of the hard-line S.C. House Freedom Caucus calling for closed primaries.
“I took time away from Congress to be here, and this is a very, very important issue,” Norman said. “The elections that we have for the state are often within the number 20 (or) 30, votes. We can’t have those on the opposite party stopping people from being elected, and we got to put a stop to that.”
They’re both seeking the Republican nomination for governor and have a common obstacle to overcome.
They have to be in Washington, D.C., several days a week while the current roles held by Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell and Attorney General Alan Wilson keep them in South Carolina on a regular basis.
Evette also has the advantage of working within the governor’s office appearing at events with Gov. Henry McMaster or on behalf of the office. As attorney general Wilson often sends out news releases or joins lawsuits or defends the Trump administration.
According to a calendar released by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the U.S. House is scheduled to be in session 48 days between the beginning of February and the June 9 primary. In a race with no clear frontrunner, every day used to campaign will be valuable.
Each month, members of the U.S. House usually have at least one full week to work in their districts. April may be a heavy campaign month, as the U.S. House is only scheduled to be in session for two weeks.
Weeks when Congress is in session, they’re usually scheduled to meet for four days.
If either Mace or Norman make it to the runoff, the U.S. House schedule will be helpful. The House is scheduled to be off the week before the June 23 runoff.
Being in Washington, D.C., dealing with federal issues may help them with one key aspect in the Republican race, they could catch President Donald Trump’s attention.
“In the pursuit of President Trump’s endorsement that all five candidates would love being in the vicinity of federal issues and Washington might accrue to their benefit (that would) not accrue to the locals,” said Walt Whetsell, the president of Starboard Communications, a political consulting firm not working on any campaign for governor this year.
Whetsell also pointed out that Mace and Norman have the ability to appear on cable news television and speak to more potential voters and donors at once.
“I think it’s those kind of assets are more equalizing than being on the ground, at seven o’clock (at) night to talk to the 80 people of the X county Republican club,” Whetsell said.
And Mace is probably the most active on social media among the hopefuls for governor, which also widens her potential audience of Republican voters.
“They have found avenues around the traditional way to get their message to a large audience of voters by both the frequency of their online activity and the content,” Whetsell said. “The posts that they make that are more logical and rational and lay out a specific plan on roads do not get the traffic that some of her more flamboyant posts seem to get.”
But Mace and Norman recently have made an effort to appear in front of news cameras in recent weeks to show they’re still attuned with South Carolina’s political realm and trying to influence what happens in Columbia.
In the span of five days, Norman was in the second floor lobby of the State House speaking to reporters while standing next to members of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus, who have backed his campaign.
At one news conference, he discussed his support for closing primaries. Five days later he discussed how he would want to make road maintenance more efficient.
His campaign said he would return to Columbia several weeks later.
“In South Carolina before anybody cast a vote for me or anybody else, you got to know what the plan is,” Norman said. “I’m laying my plan out. Now, some may have interest in some parts of it, but my interest is South Carolina, that’s what these guys their interest is in. So would I wear out my welcome when I become governor? I guess you can make that case.”
Mace, who is adept at gaining earned media, repeatedly held news conferences across the state during the early weeks of January.
In January alone, Mace proposed five pieces of legislation for South Carolina, even though she is a member of Congress, and she’s held several news conferences around the state in order to gain media attention.
“What we are doing over the next 100 days is to showcase legislation I would support as governor that is already being worked on in the state legislature, legislation I would oppose, legislation that I would propose as governor, and in that case, when I’m proposing policies and legislation,” Mace told reporters outside the State House earlier in January.
The first two gubernatorial debates, March 17 at Coastal Carolina University and April 21 at the College of Charleston, hosted by the S.C. Republican Party, are set to take place on days the U.S. House is scheduled to be in session.
“I won’t miss any important votes,” Norman said after speaking at the Lexington County GOP earlier this month. “If it’s votes that don’t really make a difference, I don’t mind missing them. I love debates. I love things like this. So, I will be there when I can.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
