MORNING HEADLINES | First District U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is under increasing political pressure as she explores a possible 2026 gubernatorial bid.
At issue is a spat over an invitation to attend a Friday town hall in Mount Pleasant, which Mace says she won’t go to because her office didn’t officially organize it. She labeled the event as “fake news,” even though the 5:30 p.m. event is in a government building (Mount Pleasant Town Hall) and organized by the town’s mayor pro tem.
“I will not be attending,” she said in a statement. “We’re staying away because it’s not safe, and we refuse to be bullied by individuals who are threatening me, my employees, my constituents and my family.”
The Lowcountry Accountability Alliance, which helped to organize the event, fired back Wednesday at Mace for making “untrue” claims about the invitation: “To be clear, at no point did the Lowcountry Accountability Alliance ever suggest that Nancy Mace was attending the town hall being organized. Her constituents know better. We know she is too afraid to face her constituents because she understands that what she is doing in Washington is deeply unpopular.
“This town hall, which will be held at Mount Pleasant Town Hall and moderated by Town Council member G.M. Whitley, is not some radical idea—it’s a basic function of democracy. Instead of engaging with the people she was elected to represent, Mace resorts to fearmongering and false narratives to distract from her failure to lead.”
Meanwhile, legal and political experts tell the Charleston City Paper in a new story today that a high-profile defamation claim against UMace could pose serious legal and political challenges as the three-term Lowcountry Republican gears up for an expected 2026 gubernatorial run.
One of four men that Mace outed in a February floor speech as a “sexual predator” filed suit to restore his good name, his lawyers said. The man, Brian Musgrave of Fort Mill, has proclaimed his innocence, as have three others, at least one of which is under investigation by state authorities.
“To avoid liability, Mace will have to prove truth,” said South Carolina constitutional lawyer Jay Bender of Columbia. “And that could make it a challenging case from her perspective, assuming she does not have [constitutional] immunity.”
Two political insiders added that the lawsuit could damage Mace’s credibility as she explores a gubernatorial campaign.
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In other recent headlines
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Judge dismisses suit against S.C. newspaper. S.C. Circuit Court Judge Kristi Curtis dismissed a Ninth Circuit Public Defender’s Office lawsuit that sought to restrain the (Charleston) Post and Courier from publishing details of a criminal defendant’s mental health history. The judge said the lawsuit violated the paper’s First Amendment rights.
Charleston County schools eliminate position amid federal anti-DEI push. Officials say the district stood to lose $55 million in federal funding if the position wasn’t eliminated.
IAAM, Charleston libraries partner to present African American stories. Charleston’s International African American Museum is partnering with the Charleston County Public Library to offer African American stories as part of the library system’s Dial-A-Story program.
Summerville restaurant closes after more than 80 years. Open since 1944, Eva’s on Main served its last meal Wednesday. An Italian deli is expected to open in the location next month.
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