Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC, may have found herself in hot water for voting to remove Kevin McCarthy as former House Speaker. She is now in the crosshairs of House Republicans who see her decision as betrayal.
Mace has reportedly been criticized by several GOP members for siding with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, who led the effort to remove McCarthy as Speaker.
Seven of the eight Republicans who voted against Kevin McCarthy as speaker were conservative critics. McCarthy’s supporters say that one unexpected rebel committed the biggest betrayal.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., sparked audible gasps in the House when she joined seven other hardliners to torpedo McCarthy during Tuesday’s historical ouster vote. This decision has now cast a shadow over her future as a member of the GOP. It also threatens the competitiveness of her seat in Congress next year.
McCarthy and Mace did not always agree, but McCarthy helped Mace win her seat in Congress when her campaign was struggling. Mace’s decision to fundraise aggressively off her vote to oust McCarthy has only increased her colleagues’ anger towards her.
Mace’s vote to remove McCarthy was even more offensive for House Republicans, given that Mace had previously been an ally of McCarthy, unlike other GOP members who voted against McCarthy. Rep. Steve Womack, R-AR, called Mace’s voting “disgraceful”, and accused her of trying to boost her political brand. If the vote is to build Mace’s brand and bring some money to her campaign, I think it’s time to rethink your purpose.
Mace, however, has not apologized for her decision. She asked for donations during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast. She said that “they were coming after me.”
Mace, ironically, had criticized Gaetz in January for his efforts to prevent McCarthy from being chosen as speaker.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., called Matt Gaetz of Florida a “fraud”, for raising money off his efforts last week to prevent Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R.-Calif.), from gaining the position.
“Matt Gaetz has a fraudulent past,” Mace stated on CBS’s Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan that every time Gaetz voted against Kevin McCarthy, he sent a fundraising message. “You saw last week that a constitutional process was diminished by these kinds of political action.”
This issue was raised during a recent interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collin.
Nancy Mace explains using her vote for McCarthy’s ouster to fundraise after criticizing Matt Gaetz for the same thing.
“I made the decision to fundraise over the last 24 hours because of the threats that I have received over fundraising…the establishment is coming after me.” pic.twitter.com/NHPuTInQw5
— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) October 6, 2023
A second lawmaker said that her vote might have harsh consequences because she doesn’t have a lot of support. “I don’t know what the consequences will be.” They said that she had no coalition behind her.
Gaetz, however, has demonstrated that he’s in her corner, and even given her a nickname, “Maverick Mace”. However, if she wishes to advance her political career further, this decision could come back to bite her.
Mace’s fate is uncertain as the dust settles from this latest political intrigue. She could recover from this situation, especially because the vote she cast is popular with conservative voters. If House Republicans intend to keep this grudge for the long term, then the road ahead could be even more difficult.
