Catherine Templeton Announcing Run for Congress, Setting up GOP Clash With Rep. Nancy Mace
Originally published by Caitlin Byrd for the Post and Courier
Republican Catherine Templeton next week will announce her plans to run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, setting up what is expected to be a crowded, contentious and dramatic clash in the GOP primary for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
Brandon Moody, an adviser for Templeton’s forthcoming campaign, confirmed the news Jan. 30 to The Post and Courier. It came after the newspaper tried for days to reach Templeton for comment about her political ambitions.
Plans for a Feb. 5 kickoff event in Mount Pleasant are underway. Her official candidate filings, along with a campaign website, are expected in the coming days before the launch. A campaign video could also follow.
Mace, R-Isle of Palms, did not immediately return a request for comment.
The dynamic unfolding in the primary contest lays bare what had been rumored for months: That Mace would face political consequences — and challengers for her seat — after joining a GOP-led revolt to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
Before McCarthy left Congress, he unloaded on Mace — one of eight House Republicans to reject him as speaker — in an interview with CNN, saying she had not “earned the right” to be reelected.
“If you’ve watched her, just her philosophy and the flip-flopping, yeah,” McCarthy said. “I don’t believe she wins reelection.”
Mace has built a high-profile reputation in Congress as someone who refuses to toe the GOP party line, frequently calls herself a “caucus of one” and has a knack for landing TV interviews. She often attributes her seemingly unpredictable voting patterns to the independent streak that cuts across her district.