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'I Kind of Want to Whittle Sticks': Nancy Mace Says She's Done With Elected Office

Maceopedia ·

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace speaking at the South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce Washington Night, where she said she is ready to be 'normal Nancy' again.
Photo: South Carolina Public Radio. Source

As first reported by Maayan Schechter of South Carolina Public Radio, outgoing Lowcountry Congresswoman Nancy Mace used a Washington business dinner to close the door on elected office and to describe, in her own words, what she wants next.

"I Kind of Want to Whittle Sticks"

Asked directly by POLITICO's Jonathan Martin whether any non-elected public-life job would appeal to her, Mace answered flatly:

"No."

Then she offered a picture of the life she says she is after:

"I kind of want to whittle sticks for a while."

Martin was moderating the South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce's Washington Night, a yearly gathering of business leaders who meet to hear from the state's federal delegation. Mace, who leaves office in January 2027, told the room she is ready to be "normal Nancy" again.

"Three Terms and Then I Would Be Done"

Mace framed her exit as a promise kept:

"When I ran for the House, I said I would serve three terms and then I would be done. And I fulfilled that promise."

"I loved it though. I loved serving."

For the record: the "three terms" line is Mace's own characterization. She signed the U.S. Term Limits Amendment Pledge (a promise to vote for a constitutional amendment capping House service), which is not the same as a documented 2020 personal commitment to leave after her own third term. Maceopedia has previously noted that distinction.

Context

Mace was first elected to the U.S. House in 2020, flipping the 1st District seat back to Republican control and becoming the first Republican woman from South Carolina elected to Congress. She had previously served in the state House.

Rather than seek re-election in 2026, she ran for governor and finished out of the running in the June Republican primary. She has since launched the GET MACED podcast and spent recent weeks in commentary mode online.

In the 1st District race to succeed her, Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt will face Democrat Nancy Lacore in November, with Libertarian Bill Reeside also on the ballot.

Sources & Related Coverage

Maceopedia: Cataloging the internet record about Nancy Mace.

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