In a bid for revenge, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is throwing his weight behind Republican primary challengers in South Carolina's 1st District, aiming to unseat Rep. Nancy Mace. Mace, who voted to remove McCarthy from the speakership last year, is now facing opponents Marine Corps veteran Bill Young and Catherine Templeton, with McCarthy boosting Templeton's campaign through his political action committee.

McCarthy's political action committee, Majority Committee PAC, has spent $10,000 on Templeton's campaign, while another PAC affiliated with McCarthy, the American Prosperity Alliance, has contributed $15,000 to the South Carolina Patriots PAC. The South Carolina Patriots PAC has allocated over $2.1 million to defeat Mace and over $400,000 to support Templeton.

Mace's campaign has refrained from directly addressing McCarthy's funding of her opponent. Instead, they emphasized Mace's commitment to serving the people of South Carolina who elected her, highlighting her fearlessness in standing up against powerful figures and forces. Mace, who surprised her GOP colleagues with her vote against McCarthy last year, has been considered a more mercurial figure compared to the other conservative hard-liners who voted against McCarthy.

While Mace initially sought a middle ground upon entering Congress in 2021, she has since positioned herself as an ultraconservative and challenged GOP leaders on significant votes. Notably, Mace publicly criticized former President Donald Trump for his rhetoric regarding the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. In response, Trump endorsed Mace's primary rival in her 2022 reelection bid. However, Mace has since pledged her loyalty to Trump, and he has endorsed her, despite McCarthy's revengeful pledge.

Mace has also garnered the endorsement of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who praised her as an independent voice advocating for the values, interests, and needs of her constituents. However, Mace has not been without controversy, having been involved in public disputes with former staffers and facing allegations of seeking maximum reimbursements for cost-of-living expenses through a taxpayer-funded program.

South Carolina's 1st District, including parts of Charleston, will witness this intense primary battle. Although the district's current boundaries were declared unconstitutional in January 2023, a federal court granted permission to use the existing map for this election due to logistical reasons and voting deadlines.

As the primary race heats up, the influence of McCarthy in supporting Templeton has added another level of intrigue to the contest. With Mace vying for a third congressional term, it remains to be seen how these political dynamics will shape the outcome of the primary and further fuel the ongoing feud between Mace and McCarthy.

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