<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1654541953859,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017a-8cb2-d416-ad7a-beb7278f0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1654541953859,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017a-8cb2-d416-ad7a-beb7278f0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_54534247", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1026914"} }); ","_id":"00000181-3a62-dfdd-a99b-bef6a3520000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedSouth Carolinians will vote in party primaries on June 14, and the results will have national implications. Republican Reps. Tom Rice and Nancy Mace are facing serious challengers backed by former President Donald Trump. Intense fights between the pro-Trump and centrist wings of the party are taking place across the nation, and South Carolina is no exception.
Rice did not vote to certify the 2020 presidential election but shocked South Carolina Republicans when he voted to impeach Trump following the events of Jan. 6. Among the 10 Republicans who voted for impeachment, Rice is the only one from the Deep South. He later said he regrets voting against certifying the election.
Mace is a newcomer to Congress. Elected in 2020, she was quick to distance herself from Trump. Mace was the only representative from South Carolina who voted to certify the 2020 election results. Unlike Rice, she did not vote to impeach Trump. Mace took another stance against Trump by voting to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress following his refusal to comply with the Jan. 6 committee’s subpoena.
While Trump endorsed Katie Arrington’s bid to topple Mace, Republican leaders have rallied behind the incumbent. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise both endorsed Mace. However, her race has caused division among former and current South Carolina Republicans. Rep. Joe Wilson endorsed Arrington, while former Gov. Nikki Haley and former Trump chief of staff Mick Mulvaney endorsed Mace.
The waters are too choppy for Republican leaders to support Rice, but legacy Republicans have stepped into the race to support his campaign. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Rice. However, state Rep. Russell Fry received the endorsement of multiple South Carolina state legislators shortly after being endorsed by Trump in his challenge against Rice.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won the Republican primary despite facing a Trump-backed opponent in a major blow to the former president. South Carolina is the next battle in Trump’s war, and the outcome is not yet clear. Internal polling from the Rice campaign showed him in the lead with 38% compared to Fry’s 21%, but a Trafalgar Group poll and an internal Fry campaign poll have Rice trailing his main challenger. Another Trafalgar Group poll has Mace leading Arrington with 46%, but Arrington is in striking distance with 41%.
South Carolina, the “first in the South” for presidential primaries, is crucial for any Republican candidate to win. Trump won the state in the 2016 primary and, should he run for president in 2024, will likely need to win it again. The Republican primary is the first major opportunity for the former president to exert his influence in the state. Mace’s race is a battle of high-profile personalities, while Rice is fighting without the help of Republican leaders.
Mace has the benefit of fighting against a flawed candidate. Arrington was the Republican nominee for South Carolina’s 1st District in 2018 and lost to former Rep. Joe Cunningham, a Democrat. Arrington faces allegations of mishandling classified information while working at the Pentagon and was represented by Mark Zaid, who represented the whistleblower during Trump’s first impeachment proceedings.
Rice has an uphill battle to fight. His opponent has the support of South Carolina legislators and the former president. Ryan’s endorsement could help sway over a few voters but carries little weight in comparison to Trump’s support for Fry.
South Carolina has an important decision to make, and it will not be an easy one for many voters. It will be hard not to label Trump as a diminishing figure in the party should both incumbents win their primaries. Should one or both incumbents get toppled by their challenger, South Carolina voters will be telling the Republican Party that Trump is their leader, not past or present establishment Republicans.
James Sweet is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
