Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is considering a bid to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death on Saturday.
When asked if she was interested in launching a Senate campaign for the seat Sunday on Fox News, Ms. Mace said, “I’m never going to shut the door. I love the state of South Carolina.”
“You only live once, and if the people of South Carolina would like me to serve in that capacity, I’ll certainly take a look at it. But right now, I just want to focus on [Mr. Graham] and his legacy,” she added.
Ms. Mace said there have been many calls between different leadership posts involved in South Carolina elections. She said she texted Gov. Henry McMaster on Sunday morning to suggest he nominate himself to be that interim senator as “someone who can be divested, who can hold the lane for Lindsey Graham for the next six months.”
“There will be a very short primary in about three or four weeks. Quite frankly, special election probably looking like August 11th,” she said.
Ms. Mace, a Republican who recently lost a primary for South Carolina governor, will reportedly begin polling for her exploratory committee within days.
The three-term Republican congresswoman still has money in her campaign account from previous campaigns and was already prepared to leave the House in January.
Ms. Mace previously ran for Senate 12 years ago in a failed primary challenge against Mr. Graham.
Calling herself “Trump in high heels,” when she launched her gubernatorial bid last year in an effort to gain President Trump’s endorsement, Ms. Mace faced strong resistance from Mr. Trump by fighting for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and other issues.
Mr. Trump endorsed an opponent in that primary.
