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South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace criticized former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after McCarthy—during a visit to Capitol Hill last week—expressed his hope that Mace would receive the necessary help "to straighten out her life."
McCarthy added that “No one will stay working" for Mace," adding that her constituents "can’t have somebody who just flips and flops based upon what TV station she gets put on." He said that people "want someone who’s willing to work, and so I hope she gets that kind of help.”
Mace and McCarthy have a contentious history given that last year she sent out a fundraising email urging supporters to donate to her campaign after her vote to remove McCarthy. Mace faced accusations of hypocrisy having previously criticized Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz for fundraising off his opposition to McCarthy but she nonetheless joined forces with him to oust the former Speaker.
Mace swiftly retaliated, leveraging McCarthy's comments in a video posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. In the video, Mace appealed for support for her campaign against the "establishment" and "corrupt D.C.," emphasizing the need to combat figures like McCarthy.
You can see her video below.
Mace said:
"[McCarthy] put our majority at risk. He lied to the American people. He couldn’t even hold his speakership, because he’s a loser."
"So yeah, Kevin, I need help. I need help to raise money so I can hit back at you and your hand-picked opponent who’s now your puppet running in South Carolina against me.”
Highlighting the ongoing rift, Mace urged for financial backing to counter McCarthy and his alleged hand-picked opponent in South Carolina's 1st District. Although Mace did not explicitly name the opponent, speculation points to Catherine Templeton, one of three Republicans challenging Mace in the GOP primary. Mace had previously referred to Templeton as McCarthy's "puppet."
It was a classic case of Republicans eating their own—and both Mace and McCarthy were criticized.
McCarthy's ouster makes him the first Speaker of the House of Representatives to ever be removed from the role during a legislative session.
Gaetz, who initiated the "motion to vacate" leading to McCarthy's removal, acknowledged the possibility of an outsider campaign for the speakership. He expressed willingness to support current members of Congress for the role but did not rule out considering individuals outside the body, since the U.S. Constitution does not require the Speaker to be a sitting member of Congress.
Former President Donald Trump was among those being recruited by some GOP members but the Republican-controlled House ultimately voted in social conservative Mike Johnson after several prospective nominees—including Ohio Representative Jim Jordan—were forced to suspend their campaigns amid fighting between far-right factions.