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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Monday joined the checklist of South Carolina Republicans backing former President Trump over Nikki Haley ahead of the New Hampshire primaries.
Mace, who notably ruffled feathers within the House GOP as one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker final 12 months, instructed The Associated Press that she was backing Trump over Haley, who lives in her congressional district and supported her in 2022 in opposition to a Trump-backed challenger.
“I don’t see eye to eye perfectly with any candidate. And until now I’ve stayed out of it,” Mace instructed the AP. “But the time has come to unite behind our nominee.”
Mace had stayed out of the 2024 Republican primary as two fellow South Carolinians – Haley, the previous governor, and Sen. Tim Scott – entered the race final 12 months. Scott, who ended his personal 2024 bid in November and was appointed to the Senate by Haley in 2012, endorsed Trump over Haley on Friday in a rousing call-and-response speech in New Hampshire.
On Saturday, Trump was joined on stage at one other New Hampshire rally by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, the state’s lieutenant governor and different senior statewide officers, together with the state’s legal professional common, treasurer and House speaker, in addition to U.S. Reps. Joe Wilson, William Timmons and Russell Fry.
Rep. Nancy Mace endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Haley, showing on Fox News Monday morning, touted that she gained South Carolina twice and anticipated a robust displaying within the upcoming primaries within the Palmetto State.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ departure from the race on Sunday leaves Haley as the primary GOP candidate remaining to problem Trump.
New Hampshire votes on Tuesday, however South Carolina’s primary is in a month, and the state’s Republican management has largely already lined up behind Trump. Mace’s endorsement implies that Trump has secured 4 of the state’s six Republican U.S. House members. Rep. Ralph Norman is backing Haley and Rep. Jeff Duncan is saying he’s not endorsing earlier than the primary.
Just two years in the past, Mace and Haley had been aligned in a congressional primary that examined Trump’s heft in South Carolina, the place his personal 2016 presidential primary win helped cement his nomination. After the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol, Mace, who had simply been sworn in as a freshman lawmaker, went on TV to criticize Trump for his function within the day’s occasions, saying the president’s accomplishments in workplace “were wiped out in just a few short hours.”
Former President Donald Trump speaks throughout a marketing campaign occasion in Rochester, New Hampshire, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
SC CONGRESSMAN TOUTS NIKKI HALEY’S ‘YOUTH,’ HITS TRUMP’S AGE AFTER PELOSI JAN. 6 MIX-UP
Trump responded by calling Mace “an absolutely terrible candidate” and soliciting “any interest from good and SMART America First Republican Patriots” to run in opposition to a listing of sitting House Republicans, together with Mace, whom he endorsed for her first run in 2020 and who labored for his 2016 marketing campaign.
When Katie Arrington, who unsuccessfully sought the seat in 2018, launched her 2022 bid in opposition to Mace, she had Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement.” During a pre-primary rally in South Carolina, Trump known as Mace “crazy” and “a terrible person.”
Haley, in the meantime, stumped with Mace, as she had in 2020, serving to elevate cash and showing in a tv advert on her behalf, calling her a “fighter.”
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks throughout a marketing campaign cease at Brown’s Lobster Pound in Seabrook, New Hampshire, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
But the 2 reportedly have not spoken since final 12 months, when Mace’s title was floated as a attainable operating mate for Trump, ought to he win the GOP nomination.
On Monday, Mace stated she felt Trump was the higher choice this 12 months.
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“Donald Trump’s record in his first term should tell every America how vital it is he be returned to office,” she instructed the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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