Opinion: To my greatest dismay, Joe Cunningham has been officially dethroned by Citadel graduate, Nancy Mace.

The Facts:  Although Cunningham did not concede until EVERY ballot was counted, District 1 can can now expect to be represented by a Republican congresswoman. So this week on “Let’s Get Political”, we’re going to do a deep dive into WHO exactly Nancy Mace is and what her position means for South Carolina. 

Mace’s arguably most impressive attribute is her title as the first woman to ever graduate from The Citadel. In fact, she co-wrote a book with Mary Jane Ross entitled “In the Company of Men: A Woman at the Citadel.” Forty-two year old Mace graduated in 1999 with a degree in business administration and later earned a masters in journalism and mass communication from UGA. Prior to opposing Joe Cunningham for the House of Representatives, Mace was elected as a District 99 South Carolina State Representative in 2018. In addition to this, she worked alongside the Trump campaign in 2016 and has received clear support and endorsement from President Donald Trump. 

Mace flipped District 1 by winning 50.6% of votes, according to The Associated Press, with Cunningham following close behind by only a 1.2% margin. The National Republican Congressional Committee supported her campaign with a whopping $1.8 million. While a key message of Mace’s campaign was her impressive graduation from The Citadel and conservative economic values, there was also a smear campaign against Cunningham who was labeled as a “radical liberal” who “sides with Nancy Pelosi 90% of the time.” 

Her slogan (which is very similar to Cunningham’s) is “Lowcountry First”, and according to her website, she intends to “restore the Lowcountry’s economy” following the COVID-19 shutdown. She is in clear opposition of South Carolina allowing foreclosures and evictions to resume on May 15th and believes that South Carolinians need stronger relief programs. She wants to solve the housing crisis through incentive rather than government handouts. She has suggested that “a tax credit for banks, lenders and landlords who suspend or defer mortgage and rent payments to individuals and businesses would help alleviate the pain felt by tenants and homeowners trying to make ends meet.” Overall, she believes a second wave of relief must be injected into the South Carolina housing sector. 

 In addition to economic issues, Mace aligns conservatively with social issues. She has proclaimed herself to be anti-abortion and has consistently voted to block government funding of Planned Parenthood. In addition to this, she voted to pass the Fetal Heartbeat Bill in 2019 and has sponsored Pro-Life Legislation in her time as an SC House Member. Additionally, Mace supports an “America FIRST” agenda and is in favor of securing the Mexican-American border. She is also incredibly supportive of the United States military and wants to ensure all veterans are “treated fairly and receive assistance.”

Although quite different from congressmen Joe Cunningham, they can definitely agree on one Bipartisan issue: the call to cease off-shore drilling. She intends to work collectively across party lines in the fight to ban off-shore drilling at the federal level and argues that seismic testing and oil drilling “jeopardize our coastal economy that relies on clean beaches and inviting water.” 

Nancy Mace is one of four members of the self declared “Conservative Squad”, which includes Beth Van Duyne (TX), Jessica Taylor (AL), and Michelle Fischbach (MN). They intend to veer the country away from an apparently “socialist” direction and have established that, “Democrats have taken a sharp left turn and attack the very values that make our country great.” 

So the question is: Is Nancy Mace right for South Carolina and District 1? Contrary to the election of Republicans Lindsay Graham and Mace, Democrat Joe Biden won District 1. So what drives Charleston in the opposing directions of a Republican congress and a Democratic president? Why would the District 1 popular vote be in favor of Nancy Mace when they voted against the presidential candidate that endorses her? I can’t answer these questions, and the debate lies in YOUR hands! That is all folks! See you next time on “Let’s Get Political!”

Cited Sources: 

https://ballotpedia.org/Nancy_Mace

https://nancymace.org