South Carolina GOP Primary for Nancy Mace's Seat Advances to Runoff

Jenny Honeycutt, a business owner, and Mark Smith, a state legislator, advanced in the GOP primary to replace outgoing Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Tuesday evening. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote required for an outright win, a runoff is scheduled for June 23. The vacancy was created when Mace announced her candidacy for governor of South Carolina. During her congressional tenure, Mace was one of eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023 and has been involved in legislation regarding cybersecurity and the release of the Epstein Files. Mace stated her intention to continue her work at the state level. The district, known as S.C. 01, has been predominantly Republican for the past forty years, with the exception of a brief period from 2019 to 2021 when Democrat Joe Cunningham held the seat. Honeycutt has emphasized law and order and fiscal issues as priorities, raising over $345,600 in campaign contributions. Smith, who has served in the state legislature since 2020, reported $750,700 in donations. A third candidate, Jay Byars, raised $220,600 and has been involved in local government since 2011. Mace has not endorsed any candidate in the race to succeed her.