Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Sunday did not directly endorse a crime crackdown in her home state, even as Trump administration officials are signaling that such enforcement operations in red states are on the table.
When asked in a Fox News appearance whether she would “welcome” the prospect of National Guard members patrolling high-crime areas in South Carolina, Mace pivoted to the possible National Guard deployment to Chicago that President Donald Trump has threatened over the past week.
“I hope that President Trump has the resources to send soldiers to Chicago if that’s what it takes,” she said. “That is one of the most violent cities in America. I look forward to watching the videos of soldiers entering Chicago and getting Chicago safer than it’s ever been because the mayor certainly is not doing it, neither is the governor.”
Mace’s dodge comes shortly after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that there “absolutely” are plans to deploy troops to Republican-led cities with high crime rates, in what would be operations similar to the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C.
Trump has been touting the progress of that crime crackdown in the district, which has led to over 1,000 arrests, while also teasing future ones, including in Chicago.
Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington has led multiple Republican governors to send in their National Guard troops, including Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC).
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Mace is running for McMaster’s seat in the governor’s mansion next year, as he is term-limited.
On Sunday, Mace claimed that she is 10 points ahead of her challengers for the Republican nomination, including Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R-SC), and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, among others.
