Nancy Mace

Nancy Ruth Mace (born December 4, 1977) is an American businesswoman, politician, and the author of the memoir In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel, first published by Simon & Schuster in 2001, about her experience in becoming the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets portion of The Citadel.

Nancy Mace
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 99th district
Assumed office
January 23, 2018
Preceded byJames Merrill
Personal details
Born (1977-12-04) December 4, 1977
Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children2
EducationThe Citadel (BS)
University of Georgia (MS)

Mace is a South Carolina State Representative for District 99 covering Hanahan, northeast Mount Pleasant, and Daniel Island, South Carolina. In the private sector, Mace also works in commercial[1] and residential real estate.[2]

Early life and education

Mace was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to United States Army officer James Emory Mace and school teacher Anne Mace. Entering The Citadel with the first group of four female cadets in 1996 (after Shannon Faulkner became the first woman admitted to the corps of cadets portion of the school the year prior) she became the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets in 1999, receiving a degree in Business Administration, magna cum laude. During her time as a cadet, her father, a 1963 Citadel graduate, was serving as Commandant of Cadets. While she was the first female cadet to receive a bachelor's degree, women were enrolled and had received master's degrees from The Citadel Graduate College since the 1970s. Mace also graduated from the University of Georgia, where she earned a master's degree in journalism and mass communication from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, focusing on public relations.[3]

Career

In 2008, Mace started a small consulting business called The Mace Group. The Mace Group provides public relations, marketing and web services to clients in a variety of industries. Some recent political clients have included Senator Tim Scott, Congressman Mick Mulvaney, and South Carolina State Senator Tom Davis.[4]

She is Vice Chair of The Citadel School of Business Advisory Board,[5] on the National Board of Directors for the Medal of Honor Bowl,[6] a board member of The Citadel Regimental Band and Pipes Association; past board member of Childspring International; past president of the Greater Atlanta Citadel Alumni Club; a past district director for The Citadel Alumni Association; past panelist on the 12th Annual Conference of Women in Higher Education; and participant in the Corbin Council conference on Assimilation of Women at Military Colleges.[4] In August 2014, Mace participated in the Cold Water Challenge in order to raise awareness of the charity Autism Speaks.[7] In 2014, she received the "Young Alumnus Award" from the Citadel Alumni Association and in 2017 she received the "Mary Dean Brewer Woman of Distinction" award from the Eastern Carolina Girl Scouts. From September 2015 until August of 2016 she served as coalitions director and field director for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign in South Carolina.[8]

Mace is the author of In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel. She chronicles her upbringing as the daughter of a Citadel graduate and retired U.S. Army General, as well as her experience as a female cadet attending the historically all-male military college.

2014 United States Senate campaign
Further information: 2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina

On August 3, 2013, Mace announced that she would seek the GOP nomination for the United States Senate in South Carolina for the 2014 election.[9] Mace won 6.2 percent of the vote with 19,560 votes cast in her name in the Republican Primary.[10]

South Carolina State House

2017 campaign

On September 18, 2017, Mace announced and filed as a Republican to run in a special election for the South Carolina State House District 99 seat being vacated by Jimmy Merrill, who resigned earlier that month following an indictment and plea deal for several ethics violations. She received 49.5% of the votes in the November 14 Republican primary, 13 votes short of winning the nomination outright. She defeated the second place challenger, Mount Pleasant town councilman Mark Smith on November 28 in a runoff, 63-37%.

Mace defeated Democrat Cindy Boatright in the January 16, 2018, general election by a margin of 2,066 to 1,587 votes or 57-43%.[11]

Mace was sworn in as a member of the General Assembly on January 23, 2018, by Speaker Jay Lucas.

2018 re-election

Mace saw no opposition in the June 2018 Republican primary. She faced Democratic nominee and Mount Pleasant resident Jen Gibson in the general election on November 6. Mace won the election to a full term by an increased margin from the January special election, winning both Berkeley and Charleston counties and all but 2 precincts in the district.

Tenure

In 2019, Mace successfully advocated for the inclusion of exceptions for rape and incest in a fetal heartbeat abortion ban bill that passed in the state house. In a speech on the state house floor, Mace revealed that she had been raped at age 16. She has stated that she opposes abortion but does not believe the government has the right to tell a victim of rape or incest they do not have the right to an abortion.[12]

2020 U.S. House campaign
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina § District 1

Mace announced in June 2019 that she would seek the Republican nomination for South Carolina's 1st congressional district, anchored in Charleston and currently represented by Joe Cunningham (D-West Ashley). Cunningham won in an upset in a district Donald Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2016. Mace faced Mount Pleasant City Councilwoman Kathy Landing and Bikers for Trump founder Chris Cox in the Republican primary on June 9, 2020. Mace won the primary with 57.5% of the vote.[13]

Personal life

She resides in Charleston, South Carolina, on Daniel Island.[14]

Elections
South Carolina State House District 99 Republican Primary, 2017 (Special)[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nancy Mace* 1,290 49.5
Republican Mark Smith* 714 27.4
Republican Shawn Pinkston 373 14.3
Republican Jarrod Brooks 228 8.8
Total votes 2,605 100
South Carolina House District 99 Special Election, 2018
South Carolina State House District 99 Republican Primary Runoff, 2017 (Special)[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nancy Mace 1,695 63
Republican Mark Smith 1,012 37
Total votes 2,707 100
South Carolina State House District 99 General Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nancy Mace 8,778 62.2%
Democratic Jen Gibson 4,640 35.8%
Working Families Jen Gibson 278 2.0%
Total votes 14,106 100
Republican hold
Nancy Mace vs. Jen Gibson general election in South Carolina 99th House District Nov. 6th 2018.
South Carolina State House District 99 Election, 2018 (Special)[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nancy Mace 2,066 57
Democratic Cindy Boatwright 1,587 43
Total votes 3,653 100
Republican hold

[18]

U.S. House District SC-1 Republican Primary, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nancy Mace 48,411 57.48%
Republican Kathy Landing 21,835 25.92%
Republican Chris Cox 8,179 9.71%
Republican Brad Mole 5,800 6.89%

References
  1. Mace, Nancy. "Keller Williams Charleston Commercial Real Estate". nancymace.kw.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  2. Mace, Nancy. "Nancy Mace Keller Williams Realty Charleston - Mt. Pleasant". nancymaceresidential.kw.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  3. "Nancy Mace US Senate, Biography". August 3, 2013.
  4. "The Mace Group, Nancy Mace Biography". August 3, 2013.
  5. "Citadel Advisory Board". January 5, 2016.
  6. "National Board of Directors for the Medal of Honor Bowl". January 5, 2016.
  7. "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  8. "Nancy Mace gives South Carolina Legislature its first state lawmaker with clear ties to Trump | Palmetto Politics". postandcourier.com. January 20, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  9. "Nancy Mace Will Seek Nomination for US Senate". August 3, 2013.
  10. "In South Carolina, Graham Prevails Without a Runoff". New York Times. New York Times Company. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  11. "Republican Nancy Mace wins Statehouse District 99 election". WCBD News 2. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  12. Byrd, Caitlin (May 14, 2019). "It took SC Rep. Nancy Mace 25 years to share she was raped. She never expected this". The Post & Courier. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  13. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/09/us/elections/results-south-carolina-primary-elections.html
  14. "Nancy Mace For US Senate, Biography". August 3, 2013.
  15. Beahm, Grace (November 14, 2017). "S.C. House District 99 candidates Nancy Mace and Mark Smith heading to runoff | Palmetto Politics". postandcourier.com. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  16. Byrd, Caitlin (November 28, 2017). "Nancy Mace takes win in Republican runoff for Statehouse District 99 | Palmetto Politics". postandcourier.com. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  17. Byrd, Caitlin (January 16, 2018). "Republican Nancy Mace wins Statehouse District 99 election | Palmetto Politics". postandcourier.com. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  18. "2020 Primary Results". South Carolina Election Commission. 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
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