Nancy Mace wins reelection to U.S. House in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) cruised to victory in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, earning a third term representing the coastal district.

The Associated Press called the race at 9:19 p.m. as Mace led Democrat Michael B. Moore by nearly 17 points, according to unofficial results.

Mace flipped the 1st Congressional District seat in 2020, narrowly defeating Democrat Joe Cunningham. She defeated Democrat Annie Andrews in 2022 to earn her second term.

Once telling The Hill she feels like she is on a political island, Mace has billed herself as an independent voice in Congress that is fiscally conservative but leans more to the center on some social issues like abortion, supporting exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.

Her style has attracted a national spotlight and left her at the center of many key votes, which sometimes found her bucking her own party. She was one of eight House Republicans to break ranks and vote to oust ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2023.

The congresswoman’s second term — which saw her go from Trump critic to fierce ally — was punctuated by allegations of flip-flopping on issues, turnover within her Capitol Hill office, and accusations of “attention-seeking.”

Mace was able to overcome those challenges, however, and is projected to emerge victorious again.

That is in part thanks to redistricting in 2022 by her former colleagues in the state legislature that made the seat safer for Republicans. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the election to be held under that contested map, despite a lower court ruling that declared the district’s boundaries an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

This story is breaking and will be updated.