FreedomWorks’ Member of the Month for January 2021: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.)
Born and raised in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Rep. Mace distinguished herself early on, graduating magna cum laude from The Citadel, a premier military college. Perhaps more impressive than her academic acumen, Rep. Mace graduated in 1999 as the school’s first female cadet. She later wrote a book about her experience at the Citadel entitled In The Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel.
After earning her masters at the University of Georgia, Rep. Mace entered the business world and started her own consulting firm. In 2017, she ran in the special election for the South Carolina State House where she soundly defeated her opponent. During her brief tenure in the State House, Rep. Mace demonstrated a tenacity rarely found in politics.
As a single mother of two, Rep. Mace has been a particularly strong advocate for the rights of women and incarcerated individuals. One of her most notable achievements as a State Representative was the passage of H3967. This bill effectively prohibits the use of leg, waste, or ankle restraints for pregnant inmates, and also prohibits the restraining of pregnant inmates during and immediately after they give birth so long as the inmate does not present an immediate threat. A testament to her skill as a legislator, H3967 was passed unanimously and was signed into law by Governor McMaster last May.
Rep. Mace is also a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility. Her record in the State House bears this out. For her strong stance against raising taxes in South Carolina, Rep. Mace was awarded the Taxpayer Hero Award by South Carolina’s Club for Growth in 2019. It is this record of fiscal conservatism and respect for individual liberty that led the people of South Carolina to elect Rep. Mace to Congress.
While there has not yet been much time for legislating in the 117th Congress, Rep. Mace has already started off with a strong record. Most notably, she is one of the 36 cosponsors to Rep. Ralph Norman’s constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms for Members of Congress, H.R.Res. 12.
As the new Congress begins to take up legislation, we are fortunate to have principled legislators like Rep. Mace that are willing to stand up for our rights and liberties. We anticipate that Rep. Mace will further demonstrate herself as a strong ally in Congress. For these reasons, FreedomWorks is proud to name Rep. Nancy Mace as our member of the month for January 2021.
