South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace, a prominent Republican figure and self-styled political firebrand, faced a public setback on Thursday, August 21, 2025, when she abruptly canceled a scheduled campaign speech after only eight people showed up to hear her at a Moms for Liberty event in Myrtle Beach. Organizers had anticipated a crowd of at least 100 for the gathering, which was meant to be a pivotal moment in Mace’s bid to become the state’s next governor, according to My Horry News and HuffPost.
The event’s sparse attendance was striking, especially considering the high-profile nature of both the candidate and the organization involved. Moms for Liberty, founded in Florida in 2021, has rapidly become a lightning rod in conservative politics, gaining notoriety for its advocacy of parental rights, book bans, and anti-LGBTQ policies in school districts nationwide. The Southern Poverty Law Center has even designated Moms for Liberty as an extremist group, citing its ties to far-right activists and efforts to censor classroom materials. Despite this, the group has forged close relationships with Republican heavyweights like former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, both of whom have sought its endorsement in previous election cycles.
Mace, who announced her gubernatorial campaign on August 4, 2025, is one of five Republicans vying to succeed outgoing Governor Henry McMaster, who is barred from running again due to term limits. The GOP primary, set for November 3, 2025, is shaping up to be a crowded and contentious affair, with Mace hoping to distinguish herself as a political outsider and a staunch ally of the MAGA movement.
At her campaign launch, Mace leaned into her anti-establishment persona with characteristic bravado. “I didn’t come to join the club. They don’t want me, and I don’t want them,” she declared, adding, “I came to hold the line. They said stay quiet; I spoke up. They said sit down; I stood up. They said play nice, and I fought back.” This rhetoric has become a hallmark of her campaign, as she seeks to position herself as “Trump in heels,” a phrase she has used repeatedly while courting the former president’s endorsement.
“I’m just saying I’ve done a lot for the president, and if you talk to him, I would really like his support for governor,” Mace said at a recent event, according to ABC News. Her overtures to Trump are notable, given their tumultuous history. After criticizing him in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot, Trump backed her primary opponent in 2022, labeling her “nasty” and “disloyal.” However, their relationship appeared to thaw by 2024, with Mace endorsing Trump’s latest presidential bid. Despite her public pleas, Trump has yet to endorse her current run for governor or even publicly acknowledge her candidacy.
The Myrtle Beach event, intended as a show of grassroots support, instead became a symbol of the challenges facing Mace’s campaign. When it became clear that only a handful of people had arrived, Mace reportedly ducked backstage, avoiding the embarrassment of addressing a mostly empty room. She later emerged to speak one-on-one with the few attendees and to answer questions from reporters. Despite the setback, Mace projected confidence, telling the press, “We are winning by double digits everywhere, but particularly with folks who support the president.”
However, the low turnout was not an isolated incident in a campaign marked by controversy and high-profile missteps. Just two weeks earlier, Mace found herself in a heated exchange at a town hall in Myrtle Beach after being fact-checked by a reporter. Mace had taken credit for infrastructure improvements funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, despite having voted against the legislation. When pressed, she lashed out at the journalist, saying, “You’re very confused. And you’re a raging Democrat, a raging leftist with that kind of questioning. And I would say, as a woman, you might wanna think about how you view other women and how you treat other women the way that you question them, because women are gonna lead this country off the brink. And conservative women—the first female president of this country is going to be a conservative woman, not some liberal like you.”
This wasn’t the only time Mace’s combative style drew attention. Earlier in the summer, she was widely mocked online for saying she likes to relax by watching ICE deportation raids, a remark critics derided as an awkward attempt to brand herself “ICE Barbie.” The comment, made in the midst of an already polarizing campaign, fueled further criticism from opponents and skepticism from some within her own party.
The Moms for Liberty event itself underscored the complicated dynamics at play in South Carolina’s Republican primary. While the group has been embraced by some conservative leaders, its hardline stances and controversial tactics have alienated others, including moderate Republicans and swing voters. Whether Mace’s alignment with such organizations will help or hinder her campaign remains an open question, especially as she seeks to broaden her appeal beyond the party’s base.
For her part, Mace has remained unapologetic, doubling down on her outsider image and combative rhetoric. She continues to rail against what she describes as the “swamp” in both Columbia and Washington, emphasizing her willingness to challenge the status quo. Her campaign’s messaging is clear: she is not interested in playing by the traditional rules of politics, and she is banking on voters who share her disdain for the political establishment.
Yet, the optics of a nearly empty campaign event are hard to ignore. Political observers note that turnout at such gatherings can be a bellwether for grassroots enthusiasm and organizational strength. In a crowded primary, where every vote counts, the ability to mobilize supporters on the ground may prove decisive. Mace’s rivals in the GOP field have so far avoided direct comment on the incident, but privately, some are said to view it as a sign of vulnerability in her campaign.
As the race for South Carolina’s governorship enters its next phase, all eyes will be on whether Mace can recover from this public embarrassment and translate her fiery rhetoric into tangible support at the ballot box. With the primary just months away and the general election looming, the stakes could hardly be higher. Whether her brand of anti-establishment politics will resonate with voters—or leave her on the outside looking in—remains to be seen.
For now, one thing is certain: in the unpredictable world of South Carolina politics, even seasoned campaigners can find themselves caught off guard. Nancy Mace’s Myrtle Beach moment may not define her candidacy, but it has certainly given her—and her opponents—plenty to think about as the campaign continues.
