Nancy Mace and Michael B. Moore agree on Israel’s right to defend itself, differ on strategy

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- The two candidates running for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District offered staunch support for Israel and its right to defend itself but differed when it came to the strategy that should be used.

Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who is seeking her third term in office, was adamant that support for Israel should be unconditional.

“Israel is the first tip of the spear,” she said. “Whatever Israel needs to eradicate Hamas, to eliminate Hezbollah, and to end the Houthis, I am going to be all over 100%.”

Mace’s Democratic challenger, Michael B. Moore, agreed that Israel should be able to defend its national security but demonstrated some support for restrictions on military aid.

“I think we need to support Israel absolutely 100% with defensive weapons [and] I think we need to be careful about offensive weapons and look at that on a case-by-case basis,” Moore said, offering some criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration’s war strategy.

“I stand with the Israeli people, 75% of whom do not support Netanyahu on this,” he added. “We’ve got to get back the hostages and move toward peace. We’ve got to figure out a way out of this mess but it’s just a matter of strategy and how you do that.”

Next month marks one year since Israel declared war in response to Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border attack on Oct. 7 in which the Islamic militant group killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage.

Israel responded with weeks of intense airstrikes in Gaza before expanding the operation into a ground offensive. It says its goal is to crush Hamas and win the release of hostages still held by the group.

The offensive has brought widespread destruction to Gaza and more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

The Israel-Hamas war has become a source of tension both within the halls of Congress and the White House and spilled over onto college campuses across the country.

In response to escalating antisemitism, the House passed the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act in May. The legislation requires the Education Department to adopt the International Holocaust Alliance’s broad definition of antisemitism when enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

Mace voted for it. Moore previously said he would have voted against it, a position he defended Sunday night.

“The bill proposed, in my view, seemed more like an effort to try to restrict free speech, he said, noting his overall support for general hate crimes legislation.

Mace and Moore offered their viewpoints during a Sunday night forum at Brith Shalom Beth Israel Synagogue in downtown Charleston.

The forum, hosted by the Charleston Jewish Federation, saw the candidates field questions on several key issues, including how they would help secure federal funding for flood mitigation projects in the Lowcountry, their thoughts on continuing aid to Ukraine for its war against Russia, the crisis at the U.S. southern border, and women’s reproductive rights.

With less than 50 days to go, it was a chance for Mace and Moore to demonstrate a clear contrast to voters ahead of Election Day. Though neither directly mentioned the other by name, subtle jabs were taken and there were few moments of agreement between the two.

One point of agreement came on the issue of abortion where both advocated for exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

Mace, who helped get exceptions added to South Carolina’s fetal heartbeat bill when she was in the state legislature, said that policies surrounding reproductive rights should be both pro-life and pro-women.

“It matters how we talk about this issue,” she said. “I believe you can cherish life and protect women all at the same time, and I have tried to show that over and over again.”

Moore advocated for reinstating the protections enshrined by Roe v Wade, which was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.

“I don’t believe the government has any role in between a woman and a physician,” he said. “It feels medieval that women don’t have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, about their own healthcare.”

Asked whether the U.S. should continue sending aid to Ukraine, Moore signaled support for further assistance, arguing that it was in the United States’ best interest to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“If we let Putin just have his way in Ukraine, he’s not going to stop in Ukraine,” he said. “I don’t believe in war for the sake of war, but I believe that this is one of those investments that is defensive in nature that keeps our young people safe here in the United States and protects our interests in Europe.”

Mace, however, contended that the U.S. should exercise more oversight in what it sends and how it’s used.

“We really have to ask ourselves: What kind of tactics are we using, where is the money going, how are we using it…and make sure that the billions we are sending over there are put to good use,” she said.

On the economy, Mace said she blames both political parties for contributing to inflation.

“Part of the reason we have inflation as high as it is today is because of the crazy, insane out-of-control spending that is happening in all levels of government,” she said.

She has long advocated for implementing a so-called penny plan, which she claims would balance the federal budget in five years.

Inflation reached its lowest level in three-and-a-half years in August, signaling some relief for American consumers, but grocery and housing costs have not cooled as rapidly.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a half percentage point last week in a bid to lower the cost of living, a move that Moore said signals the economy is “heading in the right direction.”

Still, he acknowledged that people are struggling to afford basic needs, chiding large businesses for price gouging and creating monopolies.

“Bigger companies have gobbled up all the smaller companies and so that is leading to, there’s not that pressure there to keep prices competitive,” he said.

Referencing the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif) husband, and two alleged assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump, the candidates were asked whether they believe political rhetoric has become too vitriolic.

Both decisively agreed, with Mace sharing that she and her family receive threats “daily.”

“I live with this every single day,” she said. “That kind of violent rhetoric, it doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on, it happens to Democrats and Republicans alike…and this stuff has got to end.”

Moore, too, said the temperature needs to be brought down.

“I fundamentally believe that there is so much more that unites us as all as human beings, as South Carolinians, than divides us,” he said. “We’ve gotta get back to our center.”

Early voting for the 2024 general election will start on Monday, Oct. 21, and end on Saturday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The Associated Press contributed.