House Republicans Threaten Fire and Fury Against Nancy Mace After McCarthy Vote

Jeff Charles reporting for RedState 

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) might have gotten herself into some hot water after voting to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. Now, she finds herself in the crosshairs of House Republicans who view her decision as a betrayal.

Several GOP members of Congress have reportedly lashed out at Mace for siding with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who led the effort to remove McCarthy as speaker.

Seven of the eight Republicans who voted to sink Kevin McCarthy’s speakership were longtime conservative critics. There was one unexpected rebel who McCarthy’s allies say committed the worst betrayal of all.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) triggered audible gasps on the House floor when she joined seven hardliners in torpedoing McCarthy during Tuesday’s historic ouster vote. That decision is now clouding her future in the GOP, not to mention imperiling the status of her relatively competitive seat next year, as scores of angry Republicans mull possible retribution.

McCarthy and Mace didn’t always see eye to eye, but the California Republican had helped Mace secure her seat in Congress by pumping millions of dollars into her once-struggling campaign. Mace’s move to aggressively fundraise off her vote to bounce McCarthy is only intensifying her colleagues’ anger toward her.

In Mace’s case, her vote for McCarthy’s ouster was even more egregious to House Republicans given that she had been a close ally of McCarthy’s in the past, unlike the rest of the GOP lawmakers who voted against him. Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) called Mace’s vote “disgraceful” and accused her of trying to bolster her political brand. “If the purpose is because it’s going to help me build my brand and gonna bring a little bit more money to my campaign, then I think you need to question why you’re here,” he added.

Nevertheless, Mace has been unapologetic about her choice. During an appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast, she solicited donations from viewers and listeners, saying that she needed help because “they are coming after me.”

Ironically enough, Mace had criticized Gaetz for using his effort to keep McCarthy from being selected as speaker back in January.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) called fellow Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) a “fraud” for fundraising off of his efforts to block Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from winning the position last week.

“Matt Gaetz is a fraud. Every time he voted against Kevin McCarthy last week he sent out a fundraising email,” Mace said on CBS’s “Face The Nation” with Margaret Brennan. “What you saw last week was a constitutional process diminished by those kinds of political actions.”

The issue came up during a recent appearance with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Another lawmaker indicated that the consequences for her vote could be quite harsh since she does not have broad support. “I’m not sure what the fallout will be. She has no coalition of support,” they said.

However, Gaetz has shown that he is in her corner and even gave her a nickname: “Maverick Mace.” Nevertheless, if she wants to continue advancing her political career, this move could come back to haunt her.

As the dust settles on this latest political intrigue, Mace’s future is shrouded in uncertainty. It is entirely possible that she could bounce back from this, especially since the vote she made is popular among members of the conservative voting base. However, if House Republicans are going to hold this grudge over the long term, the road ahead might become even more fraught with obstacles.