U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace has officially jumped into the South Carolina governor’s race, launching her campaign yesterdaywith a bold pitch to wipe out the state income tax, overhaul road funding and ease the tax burden on older homeowners. Her entry instantly raises the stakes in an already crowded Republican primary, turning the contest on Tuesday into a statewide referendum on tax policy, infrastructure spending and anti-corruption promises. Mace is betting that a hard-edged tax-cut plan paired with a law-and-order message can grow her support far beyond the Lowcountry.
Five Years To Zero: The Tax Pitch
At the center of Mace’s campaign is a proposal she has branded “Five Years to Zero.” The plan would freeze the state’s general fund at roughly $11.6 billion, force state agencies to find between 1 and 4 percent in annual savings and steer any revenue collected above that cap into a pool dedicated to phasing out the state income tax within five to seven years. Her team says it would roll out through a mix of legislation and administrative changes, according to the Nancy Mace campaign.
Mace has also called for expanding homestead exemptions to trim property tax bills for seniors and retired veterans, as laid out in her property tax relief plan. Local coverage notes that several Republican rivals are talking about eliminating South Carolina’s income tax, but Mace is among the few to publish a step-by-step roadmap for how to get there, according to The State.
Roads, Federal Grants And A Political Rub
The other big plank of her platform is infrastructure. Mace says she would order an audit of the South Carolina Department of Transportation, speed up permitting and aggressively chase federal grants to repair and upgrade roads and interchanges. Her congressional office points to more than $400 million in federal awards it says it helped secure for the Lowcountry, including a roughly $195 million grant for an interchange project in Mount Pleasant, according to Rep. Mace’s office.
Coverage of that Mount Pleasant grant has also highlighted a wrinkle her opponents are unlikely to ignore: the money comes from the 2021 federal infrastructure law that Mace voted against, a contrast critics say undercuts her victory lap. The grant details are outlined by the SC Daily Gazette.
Law-and-Order And Anti-Corruption Focus
Mace is leaning hard into a law-and-order and anti-corruption message. She has proposed new transparency rules, tougher penalties for violent offenders and mechanisms she says would allow the state to remove prosecutors or judges who refuse to fully enforce the law. In an interview, she cast the crackdown on corruption as a direct response to what she calls “Columbia insiders” and argued that tougher oversight and faster prosecutions are needed to rebuild public trust in state government, according to WSOC.
Where The Race Stands
The Republican field is crowded, and endorsements have become part of the plotline. Former President Donald Trump’s late May endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette jolted the race and, according to reporting, unsettled some of Mace’s supporters. That mix of national influence and homegrown organizing leaves Mace trying to convert her congressional profile and Lowcountry record into a broader, statewide coalition. For more on how Trump’s move has reshaped the contest, see coverage in Axios and The Washington Post.
Next Stops
Republican voters will deliver the first verdict on Mace’s gamble in the June 9 primary. If no candidate clears 50 percent, the top two finishers will head to a runoff. Mace’s decision to run for governor will leave the coastal 1st Congressional District as an open seat in November, adding another marquee race to the fall ballot. In the meantime, the campaign trail will test whether her tax-cut promises and infrastructure record resonate beyond her home base.
For details on filing deadlines and primary procedures, see reporting from WIS and local coverage in The State.
