Nancy Mace Bio
Nancy Ruth Mace (born December 4, 1977) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district since 2021. A Republican, she previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2018 to 2020 and is the first Republican woman elected to Congress from South Carolina. In 1999, Mace became the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets program at The Citadel, later earning a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and publishing a memoir about her experience. She founded a public relations firm and worked in media before entering elective office and is a candidate for governor in the 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial election.
Across her career, Nancy Ruth Mace has been a vocal presence in Congress on issues including election integrity, cybersecurity, prison reform, animal welfare, and veterans’ affairs. She has gained national attention for breaking from members of her own party on several high-profile votes and for her willingness to engage with media on a wide range of subjects.
Early Life and Background
Nancy Ruth Mace was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the daughter of United States Army brigadier general James Emory Mace and schoolteacher Anne Mace. Her father served as commandant of cadets at The Citadel from 1997 to 2005, a period that coincided with her own enrollment in the military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Growing up in a military family gave her early exposure to discipline, structure, and public service, and she has credited those surroundings with shaping her determination to lead.
In 1999, Nancy Ruth Mace became the first woman to graduate from The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets program, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration magna cum laude. She later documented that experience in her 2001 memoir, In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel, published by Simon & Schuster. After completing her undergraduate studies, she pursued a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia, finishing in 2004.
Following graduate school, Nancy Ruth Mace founded the Mace Group, a public relations and consulting firm, in 2008. She also became co-owner of the South Carolina political news website FITSNews, which she had joined in 2007, before selling her stake in 2013. These media and business ventures positioned her for a later transition into elective office.
Path to US Politics
Nancy Ruth Mace’s entry into electoral politics began in 2012 when she volunteered for the presidential campaign of Ron Paul. The following year, in August 2013, she announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in South Carolina. Although she finished fifth in the June 2014 primary with about 6.2 percent of the vote, the campaign introduced her to a broader statewide audience and sharpened her political messaging skills.
In 2016, Nancy Ruth Mace worked on Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign as a coalitions director and field director, deepening her network within national Republican politics. On September 18, 2017, she filed as a Republican to run in a special election for South Carolina State House District 99. After a competitive primary and runoff, she won the seat in early 2018 and went on to win a full term later that year, representing Hanahan, northeast Mount Pleasant, and Daniel Island.
By 2019, Nancy Ruth Mace had set her sights on Congress. She announced a bid for the Republican nomination in South Carolina’s 1st congressional district and won the primary with 57.5 percent of the vote. Her campaign centered on banning offshore drilling off South Carolina’s coast and revitalizing the local economy, themes that would carry into her successful general election against Democratic incumbent Joe Cunningham.
Nancy Mace Career
Early Career (2014–2020)
Nancy Ruth Mace’s early political career featured an unsuccessful U.S. Senate primary in 2014 and a successful run for the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2017 and 2018. As a state legislator representing District 99, she focused on issues such as prison reform and energy policy. In May 2020, Governor Henry McMaster signed her prison reform bill, which ended the shackling of pregnant women in South Carolina prisons.
During her state-level tenure, Nancy Ruth Mace also advocated for exceptions for rape and incest in a six-week abortion ban and received the 2019 Tax Payer Hero Award from the South Carolina Club for Growth. The Conservation Voters of South Carolina gave her a 100 percent lifetime rating for her voting record against offshore drilling and seismic testing, signaling her environmental priorities in coastal South Carolina.
US Politics Breakthrough (2020–2022)
In 2020, Nancy Ruth Mace won South Carolina’s 1st congressional district, defeating Democratic incumbent Joe Cunningham and becoming the first Republican woman elected to Congress from the state. She took office on January 3, 2021, and quickly aligned herself with a populist wing of the Republican Party on several cultural and economic issues.
On January 6, 2021, Nancy Ruth Mace was one of seven House Republicans who refused to support efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results, citing concerns about Congress’s constitutional authority. After the U.S. Capitol attack, she publicly pleaded with President Donald Trump to condemn the violence, though she ultimately voted against his impeachment, citing procedural concerns. In 2022, she defeated a primary challenge backed by Trump and went on to defeat Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election by roughly 14 percentage points.
US Politics Era (2023–Present)
Since 2023, Nancy Ruth Mace has continued to chart an independent course within the Republican caucus. On October 3, 2023, she was one of eight Republicans who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, citing his failure to advance legislation she had championed. Later that year, the House passed the MACE Act, a cybersecurity bill she introduced to modernize federal cybersecurity job requirements.
In 2024, Nancy Ruth Mace endorsed Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary and was re-elected to a third term by defeating Democrat Michael B. Moore. In 2025, she signed a petition calling for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, citing her personal history as a survivor of sexual abuse. On August 4, 2025, she officially announced her candidacy for governor of South Carolina in the 2026 election.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Nancy Ruth Mace’s most significant milestones is her status as the first woman to graduate from The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets in 1999 and the first Republican woman elected to Congress from South Carolina in 2020. Her vote to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023 marked her as one of the most independent-minded members of her caucus, and her 2025 gubernatorial launch signals a shift from federal to state-level executive ambition.
Nancy Mace Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
Nancy Ruth Mace was raised in a military family shaped by her father, Brigadier General James Emory Mace of the United States Army, who later served as commandant of cadets at The Citadel from 1997 to 2005. Her mother, Anne Mace, worked as a schoolteacher, providing a balance of military discipline and educational grounding. The family background gave Nancy Ruth Mace direct exposure to leadership in both military and academic settings.
Personal Life
Nancy Ruth Mace has been married twice and was briefly engaged. Her first marriage, to U.S. Air Force Reserve JAG Corps officer Chris Niemiec, ended in divorce in 2002. She later married Curtis Jackson, with whom she had two children; that marriage ended in divorce in 2019. In 2022, she became engaged to Patrick Bryant, though the couple ended their engagement in 2023.
Nancy Ruth Mace resides on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. She is a non-denominational Protestant and has attended Seacoast Church, a South Carolina-based megachurch. In February 2025, she delivered a speech on the House floor in which she described experiences of abuse, drawing national attention to her advocacy for survivors.
Nancy Mace Upcoming Projects
2026 South Carolina Gubernatorial Campaign
On August 4, 2025, Nancy Ruth Mace officially announced her candidacy for governor of South Carolina in the 2026 election. Her campaign is expected to focus on issues she has championed in Congress, including prison reform, opposition to offshore drilling, election integrity, and protections for women and children. The gubernatorial race will mark her first bid for statewide executive office and represents a significant escalation in her political career.