Remember when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy slammed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) over her personal and professional issues? Well, now Mace has clapped back as she continues her reelection campaign.
On Wednesday, McCarthy took a potshot at Mace, his previous mentee, during a conversation with reporters, saying that he hopes she “gets the help she needs,” among other things.
Now Mace has responded in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which she says she is “living rent free” in McCarthy’s head and asks her audience for donations to defeat her challenger, who she refers to as a “handpicked puppet” of the GOP establishment.
Kevin McCarthy just can’t help himself as I am living rent free in his head. He got one thing right, however; I do need help. I need your help to fight back against the corrupt DC establishment and their handpicked puppet.
Kevin McCarthy just can’t help himself as I am living rent free in his head. He got one thing right, however; I do need help. I need your help to fight back against the corrupt DC establishment and their handpicked puppet. Chip in today >>https://t.co/yIo0S2PO55 pic.twitter.com/Q9FLlHLEgV
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) February 19, 2024
In the video, she went directly after the former speaker, calling him a “loser.”
“He put our majority at risk. He lied to the American people. He couldn’t even hold his speakership because he’s a loser. So yeah, Kevin, I need help. I need help to raise money so I can hit back at you and your handpicked opponent, who’s now your puppet, running in South Carolina against me.”
Mace was one of eight House Republicans who voted in tandem with Democrats to remove McCarthy as speaker. The move was seen as a betrayal, given that McCarthy had taken her under his wing when she first came onto the political stage. Since his ouster, McCarthy resigned from Congress in December and vowed revenge against the GOP lawmakers who voted to remove him.
This was the reason behind his initial attack on Mace.
The former speaker’s comments reflect a lingering resentment against Mace, who was one of eight House Republicans who voted to remove him as speaker last year.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) went after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) during a Capitol Hill visit on Tuesday, saying she needs to “straighten out her life.”
Mace, one of the eight GOP members who voted to oust McCarthy as Speaker last year, is facing a tough primary challenge from her former chief of staff and reportedly suffers from an office staff in turmoil.
“I hope Nancy gets the help she needs, I really do,” McCarthy told reporters. “I just hope she gets the help to straighten out her life. I mean, she’s got a lot of challenges.”
“No one will stay working for her,” he continued. “You can’t have somebody who just flips and flops based upon what TV station she gets put on. You want someone who’s willing to work, and so I hope she gets that kind of help.”
When asked if he would refrain from involving himself in an effort to unseat her during primary season, he responded: “I didn’t say that.”
McCarthy’s comments referenced reports that Mace has trouble retaining members of her staff, which has resulted in high turnover.
Earlier this month, Catherine Templeton, the former South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, announced that she was running to challenge Mace for her seat during the primaries.
Templeton formally launched her campaign Feb. 5, kicking off what is expected to be the most closely watched Republican primary race in the state.
“It’s our responsibility to send an adult who can get results to Washington,” Templeton said. “We have serious problems, and we need serious people to solve them. We need a trusted leader who values service over celebrity.”
During an interview, Templeton blasted Mace for her vote against McCarthy, saying she couldn’t understand “how we had a conservative in our districts who had voted with AOC and Adam Schiff and 200 other Democrats against our conservative values.”
She also indicated that she did not understand Mace’s vote against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) when he ran to replace McCarthy. “None of it made sense until I saw the ‘Scarlet Letter,” she said, referencing a political stunt Mace pulled by wearing a red “A” after being criticized for supporting McCarthy’s ouster.
Templeton seemed to be intimating that Mace is more concerned with putting on a show than legislating. The feud between McCarthy and Mace is likely far from over, as he has threatened to support the primary candidates of those who supported removing him as speaker.
