Former Pentagon official Katie Arrington announced Tuesday she is running against fellow Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. On Wednesday, Arrington snagged former President Trump's blessing. Trump described Mace, the first-term incumbent, as "an absolutely terrible candidate .. whose 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."
Mace responded by appearing outside Trump Tower and reminding South Carolinians that the last time Arrington was the GOP nominee, a Democrat ended up winning the seat. "If you want to lose this seat once again in midterm election cycle to Democrats, then my opponent is more than qualified to do just that," she said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Attitude," as Trump says, is a big part of the argument against Mace, too. While her voting record is mostly conservative, she is more media-friendly and less in-your-face than is currently fashionable in her party. It's also possible to get to her right on hot-button social issues, though this, combined with her opposition to offshore drilling (Arrington supports it) are arguably assets in this district.
The case against Arrington is based on a quality Trump usually disdains: She lost her last general election. But she did so under a set of circumstances unlikely to be replicated this cycle: an automobile accident that kept her off the campaign trail, a bad year for Republicans, and a Democrat who could siphon off the less Trumpy parts of the GOP coalition.
Arrington's counterargument will be that Trump won the district by 6 points to Mace's 1.2, and the GOP will need MAGA enthusiasm to drive turnout. A lot may ride on whether that contention is true — Mace's flavor of conservatism may be a better local fit. Can Trump overcome that, as he did against Sanford, and hope a red wave carries Arrington to Capitol Hill? Stay tuned.
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Actspeed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in VenezuelaSpeed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying
-
‘Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Venezuela: Does Trump want war?Feature Donald Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel and waging a narco-terrorism campaign against the United States
-
Shutdown: Are Democrats fighting the right battle?Feature Democrats are holding firm on health insurance subsidies as Trump ramps up the pain by freezing funding and vowing to cut more jobs
-
Two years on, a Gaza truce may be in sightFeature Israel and Hamas consider the U.S.’ 20-point peace plan exchanging hostages for prisoners
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new MideastSpeed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
