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Quick facts for kids Nancy Mace
Official portrait, 2020

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Joe Cunningham
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 99th district
In office January 23, 2018 – November 8, 2020
Preceded by	James Merrill
Succeeded by	Mark Smith

Personal details
Born	Nancy Ruth Mace (1977-12-04) December 4, 1977 (age 47) Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Chris Niemiec (m. 1999; div. 2002) Curtis Jackson (m. 2004; div. 2019)
Children	2
Education	The Citadel (BA) University of Georgia (MA)
Website

Nancy Ruth Mace (born December 4, 1977) is an American politician. She has been a U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2021. She is a member of the Republican Party. Before this, she served in the South Carolina General Assembly from 2018 to 2020. Her district covers six counties, including Charleston.

In 1999, Nancy Mace made history. She became the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets program at the Citadel Military College of South Carolina. Her father, Emory Mace, was the commandant there at the time. From 2018 to 2020, she represented the 99th district in the South Carolina House of Representatives. This area included Hanahan, parts of Mount Pleasant, and Daniel Island. In 2020, Mace was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She won against the current Democrat Joe Cunningham. This made her the first Republican woman elected to Congress from South Carolina. She was re-elected in 2022 and 2024.

Mace worked for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. However, she strongly spoke out against his actions around the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack. She said Trump's actions had "wiped out" his legacy. She also said he should be held "accountable." Later, she voted against impeaching him. In 2024, she supported him in the Republican presidential primary.

Early Life and Education

Nancy Mace was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Her father was a U.S. Army officer. Her mother was a schoolteacher.

In 1999, she earned a degree in business administration. She was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel's Corps of Cadets program. Mace wrote a book about her experience. It is called In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel.

Mace also earned a master's degree. She studied journalism and mass communication. She got this degree from the University of Georgia. In 2008, Mace started her own business. It was a consulting company called The Mace Group.

Early Political Career

Nancy Mace during her campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2013

In 2012, Nancy Mace volunteered for presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign.

In 2013, she announced she would run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in South Carolina. She received 6.2% of the votes in the primary election in 2014.

She supported Donald Trump for president in 2016. She worked as a director for his campaign.

South Carolina House of Representatives

Becoming a State Representative

In September 2017, Mace ran as a Republican for a special election. This was for the South Carolina State House District 99 seat. She won the Republican primary runoff election in November.

Mace then defeated Democrat Cindy Boatwright in the general election in January 2018. She took office on January 23, 2018. In November 2018, she won re-election against Jen Gibson.

Key Actions as a State Representative

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Mace also worked on a bill to stop offshore drilling off South Carolina's coast. She was against President Donald Trump's plan for oil drilling leases there. The Conservation Voters of South Carolina gave her a 100% rating for her voting record on this issue.

In May 2020, Governor Henry McMaster signed Mace's prison reform bill into law. This bill stopped the shackling of pregnant women in prison.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections to Congress

In June 2019, Mace announced she would run for Congress. She sought the Republican nomination for South Carolina's 1st congressional district. This district was held by Democrat Joe Cunningham. Mace won the Republican primary in June 2020. She focused her campaign on banning offshore drilling and helping the local economy.

In the November 2020 general election, Mace defeated Cunningham. She started her term on January 3, 2021.

In 2022, Mace faced a challenge in the Republican primary. Former President Trump supported her opponent, Katie Arrington. This was because Mace had criticized Trump's role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. However, Mace won the primary. In the November general election, she defeated Democratic candidate Annie Andrews.

Mace ran for a third term in 2024. She defeated Democratic candidate Michael B. Moore in the general election.

Time in Congress

Relationship with Donald Trump

Nancy Mace was one of a few Republicans who did not support efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. After the 2021 United States Capitol attack, Mace asked Trump to condemn it. She voted against impeaching Trump. She said the proper process was not followed. Later, she defended Trump when he was accused of mishandling documents. In 2024, she supported Trump in the Republican primaries.

Working with Other Lawmakers

In November 2021, Mace criticized fellow Republican Lauren Boebert. This was for Boebert's comments about Democrat Ilhan Omar.

In October 2023, Mace voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. She said McCarthy did not follow through on certain promises. .....

In January 2024, Mace spoke about Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son. She called him "the epitome of White privilege."

Legislation and Bills

Mace voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This was a COVID-19 relief bill.

In May 2021, Mace voted against the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. This bill condemned hate against Asian Americans. Mace said she opposed it because it did not address discrimination against Asian Americans in higher education.

In February 2023, Mace helped introduce the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act. This bill aims to share federal offshore wind power money with states. This money would be used for coastal protection.

In October 2023, the House passed a cybersecurity bill called the MACE Act. This bill was introduced by Mace. It aims to update federal cybersecurity job requirements.

In April 2024, Mace introduced the Preventing Animal Abuse and Waste Act (PAAW Act). This bill aims to stop federal funding for research that causes pain to dogs and cats. It also asks for reports on these experiments.

Redrawing District Maps

After the 2020 census, South Carolina redrew its congressional map. A federal court first said Mace's district was redrawn unfairly. They said it was to reduce the power of Black voters. This moved many Black voters from Mace's district to another.

However, the Supreme Court later reversed this ruling in May 2024. The Court said the changes were for political reasons, not racial ones. Mace said the ruling confirmed that the district line was not based on race.

Looking into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)

As Chairwoman of a House subcommittee, Mace has led hearings on UAPs (also known as UFOs). In July 2023, she questioned a former intelligence official about claims of recovered extraterrestrial spacecraft.

In November 2024, Mace criticized the Pentagon's office for UAPs. She said they were "unable, or perhaps unwilling, to bring forward the truth." She questioned why there was so much secrecy.

Committee Assignments

Committee on Armed Services
Committee on Oversight and Accountability
Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Caucus Memberships

Congressional Blockchain Caucus
Climate Solutions Caucus
Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
Rare Disease Caucus
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Caucus

Political Positions

Agriculture

In October 2023, Mace led a letter opposing the EATS Act. This act would have stopped states from making their own rules about farm goods. Mace argued it would hurt states' rights. She also said it could help foreign-owned businesses.

She received an award in February 2024 for her stance against the EATS Act. In March 2024, she again opposed the EATS Act. She raised concerns about national security and foreign influence in farming.

Animal Welfare

Mace has criticized scientific experiments on animals. She calls it "taxpayer funded animal cruelty." In April 2024, she introduced a bill to stop federal funding for experiments on dogs and cats. In May 2024, she helped start the Congressional Dog Lovers Caucus. In May 2025, Mace wrote a bill to require research animals to be adopted instead of killed.

In May 2021, Mace introduced a bill to ban mink farming for fur. She said it was "inhumane" and could spread disease. The House passed this bill, but it did not become law.

Washington, D.C., Statehood

In April 2021, Mace opposed making the District of Columbia a state. She argued it was too small. However, D.C. has more people than some states.

Debt Ceiling

In May 2023, Mace was among 71 House Republicans who voted against raising the debt ceiling. She later said that people were "spoon-fed a bed of lies" about the measure.

Foreign Policy

In June 2021, Mace voted to end a 2002 law that allowed military force in Iraq.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mace wrote an article against military action. She voted for a bill in 2022 that gave $40 billion in aid to Ukraine. However, she voted against Ukraine aid the next year.

In 2023, Mace voted to remove U.S. troops from Syria and Somalia. In 2025, Mace supported President Trump's idea to send U.S. troops to take control of Gaza.

Healthcare

During her 2014 U.S. Senate campaign, Mace said Obamacare should be repealed. She believed it would "suffocate individual liberty."

Kamala Harris

In August 2024, Nancy Mace received criticism for mispronouncing Vice President Kamala Harris' name. When corrected, Mace said she would "say Kamala's name any way that I want to."

Kevin McCarthy

Mace was one of eight Republicans who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. She said she voted this way because of distrust.

LGBTQ Rights

Nancy Mace's views on LGBTQ rights have changed over time.

Gay Rights

In 2021, Mace said she supported both religious freedom and gay marriage. She also said she strongly supported "LGBTQ rights and equality." She voted for a bill that supported equal credit for LGBTQ businesses. She was the only Republican to sponsor a bill to create a center for LGBTQ veterans.

In July 2022, Mace voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. This law protects same-sex and interracial marriages. She said, "If gay couples want to be as happily or miserably married as straight couples, more power to them."

Starting in 2025, Mace began to criticize gays and lesbians more often. She called for books with LGBTQ themes to be banned from schools. She has called the Charleston County Public Library a "grooming center." In March 2025, she criticized Senator Elissa Slotkin for reading a children's book about LGBT tolerance.

Transgender Rights

In November 2024, Mace introduced a resolution. It would stop members of the House from using single-sex facilities that do not match their "biological sex." She said this bill was aimed at Delaware representative Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress. Mace called McBride a "biological man trying to force himself into women's spaces."

On November 20, Mace introduced the Protecting Women's Private Spaces Act. This bill would stop anyone from using single-sex facilities on federal property unless it matches their "biological sex."

Liz Cheney

Mace first opposed removing Liz Cheney as chair of the House Republican Conference. She said, "We should not be silencing voices of dissent." However, during a second attempt, Mace voted to remove Cheney.

Extraterrestrial Life

Mace has said she believes space aliens have "been interacting with humanity." She has also said that explanations for UFO sightings that do not involve aliens "didn't add up."

During the 2024 drone sightings, Mace said she would not rule out that the drones were from "outer space."

Steve Bannon

In October 2021, Mace was one of nine House Republicans who voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress. This was because he did not appear before a committee. Mace said she wanted to be "consistent" and keep the power to subpoena.

Zohran Mamdani

After Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayoral election, Mace wrote a post about him. Mamdani is Muslim. Mace posted that "After 9/11 we said 'Never Forget.' I think we sadly have forgotten."

Personal Life

Nancy Mace's first marriage was to Chris Niemiec. They later divorced. She then married Curtis Jackson and had two children. They divorced in 2019. Mace became engaged to Patrick Bryant in 2022, but they broke up in 2023. She said she ended the engagement after finding him on a dating app. He denied this. In February 2025, she made accusations against Bryant and three other men in the House of Representatives. All the men denied her accusations. One of the men later sued her for defamation.

Mace lives on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. In June 2021, her home was vandalized with graffiti.

Mace is a non-denominational Protestant. She has attended Seacoast Church.

Images for kids

South Carolina House District 99 special election, 2018
Nancy Mace vs. Jen Gibson, general election in South Carolina 99th House District on November 6, 2018