Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-S.C.) former chief of staff has filed to run against her as she seeks reelection to a third term.
Mr. Hanlon spent nearly four years working in the Office of Management and Budget under the Trump administration before joining Ms. Mace’s team in January 2021. He also previously worked for former Reps. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) and Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.).
Staffing issues have plagued Ms. Mace’s office since her first year in Congress, during which she lost four of her Capitol Hill staffers in one six-week span.
Amid Mr. Hanlon’s exit in December, the congresswoman also lost two other senior staffers—Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Chalkey and Legislative Director Randall Meyer—who both resigned, according to the Washington Examiner.
Ms. Mace was first elected to Congress in 2020 to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses Charleston and its surrounding areas. She was reelected in 2022 after beating out Republican challenger Katie Arrington, who was backed by former President Donald Trump.
At the time, the former president touted Ms. Arrington as a “true Republican,” whereas he said Ms. Mace’s “remarks and attitude have been devastating for her community, and not at all representative of the Republican Party to which she has been very disloyal.”
“I don’t see eye to eye perfectly with any candidate. And until now I’ve stayed out of it. But the time has come to unite behind our nominee,” she said on Jan. 22, a day before the New Hampshire primary.
The endorsement came as a surprise to some given that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, President Trump’s main competition for the Republican nomination, lives in Ms. Mace’s congressional district. Ms. Haley had also backed the congresswoman amid President Trump’s attacks, raising money for her reelection campaign and praising her as a “fighter.”
South Carolina’s statewide primary election is set for June 11.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Ms. Mace’s office for comment.
