Nancy Mace Explains Why She Nixed Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker
When eight Republicans voted to take down Kevin McCarthy as speaker, seven of the votes weren’t a surprise. But one—from South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace—sent a gasp through the House chamber.
Unlike the other Republicans who joined all Democrats to vote against McCarthy on Tuesday, Mace is no hard-line conservative. She justified her vote by saying McCarthy hadn’t brought up legislation he had promised he would, including a measure that would increase access to birth control, and echoed dissidents’ complaints that he broke his pledges on spending bills. “Promises that I was made were not kept.
I have been working very hard on very specific issues for a very long time. When you shake a hand and make a promise, you ought to keep it," Mace said in an interview Wednesday. Mace, 45 years old, has been seen as a rising star within the party.
A charismatic lawmaker who regularly gives media interviews and is aggressive on social media, she sometimes elicits eye rolls from fellow Republicans who feel she is too eager for attention. At the same time, they acknowledge she is a talented member who held on to a tough seat. Mace has been vocal about how the party could win back the moderate Republicans and independents turned off by former President Donald Trump.
She has wide appeal in her district, with a focus on fiscal conservatism and social moderation, pushing back against her party on abortion and marijuana policy. The lawmaker, who has indicated an interest in running for Senate or governor one day, has been advised that she needs to shore up her support from conservatives to have a chance, according to people familiar with the conversations. South Carolina is much more conservative statewide than the Charleston district she
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