U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace used her weekend endorsement from Donald Trump to suggest her leading rival in the upcoming Republican primary drop out.
In a cross-campaign message that was immediately rejected by challenger Catherine Templeton, Mace suggested Lowcountry Republicans get on the same page and back the contender preferred by the former president.
“It’s time for Templeton to step aside and support the only candidate supported by our party’s leader and the only candidate who can win in November," Mace campaign manager John Mason said in a March 13 challenge.
"To do otherwise would be to oppose the direction our party leader, Donald Trump, has set for us,” Mason added, pointing to what he foreshadowed as millions of dollars Democrats might throw into the 1st Congressional District race come November.
Templeton's campaign issued a quick rebuff.
"Like most of Nancy's career, this is an odd and somewhat feeble attempt to attract attention," said her campaign manager Chet Martin. "We're going to let the voters decide on June 11."
Mace's attempt to get immediate early mileage out of the Trump endorsement could be a test of how popular the former president is in the 1st District, which stretches from greater Charleston to Hilton Head Island. While Trump remains favored statewide, he lost the district turnout to Nikki Haley in last month's GOP presidential primary.
The margin was 53 percent to 47 percent in Haley's favor, which was a numerical margin of 68,142 Haley votes to 60,790 for Trump, a significant difference of more than 7,300 voters.
Mace's call for unity comes as Trump secured enough of a delegate majority in the four Republican state primaries held March 12 to claim the party nomination. It also comes as Trump-backed candidates nationally have increased their calls for their non-Trump-supported Republicans to quit their challenges.
In the South Carolina Upstate, 4th District U.S. Rep. William Timmons of Greenville, who also is endorsed by Trump, called on his GOP primary foe, state Rep. Adam Morgan, R-Greenville, to exit. That call also went ignored.
Trump issued his endorsement for Mace, R-Isle of Palms, on his social media platform March 9, saying she has “my Complete and Total Endorsement!” pointing to her support for the Second Amendment, border security and other stances of his.
Mace is seeking a third term in Washington.
Templeton is a Mount Pleasant attorney who also has endorsed Trump. She previously led the state’s labor department and the state health and environmental agency, and ran for governor in 2018.
The two-week filing period for all of the state’s partisan races opens March 16.
The party primaries are set for June 11.
