In a rare case of a sitting congressman spurning an incumbent within his own party in a reelection bid, Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina on Thursday endorsed the GOP primary challenger to his home-state colleague Rep. Nancy Mace.
Wilson’s endorsement of Katie Arrington comes in the final weeks of the June 14 Republican primary in the mostly coastal South Carolina First Congressional District.
Wison’s endorsement follows former President Donald Trump’s choice to back Arrington over Mace in February. Trump has repeatedly taken aim at Mace over her criticism of him regarding the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol that sought to overturn the 2020 election.
Wilson referred to Arrington — a former state representative who narrowly lost to former Democratic South Carolina Rep. Joe Cunningham in the race to represent the Charleston-area district during the 2018 cycle — as a “proven fighter for our conservative principles.”
“As murderers and enemies of freedom grow emboldened by the feeble leadership of the Biden Administration, Washington needs more people who understand the significant implications of a weak America on the world stage. That’s why I am endorsing Katie Arrington for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st district,” Wilson told the State newspaper in a statement.
GOP members said they were not surprised by Wilson’s decision, noting the two have had a tense working relationship.
“Nancy rubs a lot of people the wrong way and she was extremely rude to Joe Wilson. And Joe’s just like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” one Republican lawmaker said. “Ultimately, I think she would have a point or two [over Arrington] but it’s going be very tight there and I think there will be a runoff.”
The Arrington campaign told the paper that Wilson is slated to hold a fundraiser for the candidate and will hit the campaign trail with her in the coming weeks. Wilson represents the neighboring Second Congressional District in central and southwestern South Carolina, stretching from Columbia to the Georgia state line.
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Arrington ousted former Rep. Mark Sanford in the 2018 Republican primary. Trump went after the former South Carolina governor late in the campaign, which contributed heavily to this defeat. But Arrington went on to lose in the general election against Cunningham. He, in turn, lost to Mace after a single two-year term.
Mace, the first GOP woman to be elected to the House from South Carolina, has looked to walk a tightrope in retaining Trump supporters while attracting moderate voters in the swing seat. After Trump endorsed Arrington, Mace posted a video on Twitter in front of the Trump Tower in New York City, praising the former president.
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Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney have both endorsed Mace in the race.
Mace’s campaign on Thursday pushed back hard against the Wilson endorsement of her rival.
“Joe Wilson is the reason we need term limits in Congress,” said campaign manager Austin McCubbin. “Conservative groups rate him the most liberal Republican congressman from South Carolina. Of course, he endorses the most liberal Republican in the primary, who voted for the largest tax increase in SC history.”
