Former state Rep. Katie Arrington launched a primary bid Tuesday against fellow Republican Rep. Nancy Mace in South Carolina’s 1st District.
Arrington ousted Rep. Mark Sanford in a 2018 Republican primary, only to go on to lose the general election to Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham. Mace defeated Cunningham in 2020 in the South Carolina district.
The announcement comes the day after Arrington resigned from her role at the Pentagon, where she has been on administrative leave since May of last year. The National Security Agency suspended her security clearance following allegations she improperly disclosed secret information to a Department of Defense contractor. She later sued Defense, alleging a lack of evidence in the investigation.
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Calling herself “a proud pro-Trump conservative,” Arrington cast Mace as a “sellout” in a video announcing her candidacy.
“She sold out the low country,” Arrington said in the video. “She sold out President Trump. She is more interested in becoming a mainstream media celebrity than fighting for the people she’s supposed to represent.”
Mace worked for Trump’s 2016 campaign but has criticized the former president for his actions leading up to and during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, saying in an interview at the time that his accomplishments in office were “wiped out” by what transpired. Mace is among the Republican lawmakers for whom Trump has called for primary challengers.
But Mace appeared undaunted, writing in a brief tweet, “Bring. It. On.”
Bring. It. On.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) February 8, 2022
She told the State newspaper that serving in Congress has been the honor of her lifetime.
“And I at least partially have her 2018 loss in our district to thank for that,” Mace said in reference to Arrington. “I look forward to earning the vote of everyone in the low country once again and continuing to serve the 1st District in my next term.”
Mace this week received the endorsement of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who later served as then-President Donald Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
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Haley is seen as a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024, a move that would place her at odds with her former boss should he seek another term himself. Haley initially indicated she would not run against Trump but later walked that back, saying her decision would not be dependent on Trump’s.
