Longtime Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) endorsed incumbent Rep. Nancy Mace‘s (R-SC) challenger on Tuesday, the latest rebuke to Mace as she faces a competitive primary this month.
Wilson, the longest-serving member of South Carolina‘s delegation, is throwing his support behind Catherine Templeton, former director of South Carolina’s Department of Health and former US Brick president. Templeton announced the endorsement in a press release on Tuesday.
“Catherine Templeton is smart, honest, and dedicated to President Trump’s agenda to Make America Great Again, and she will make the Lowcountry proud,” Wilson said. “As we face the peril of the Biden agenda—never ending inflation, taxes, crime, and illegal immigration, we need reinforcements in Congress who will always stand with conservatives, President Trump, and our beloved Lowcountry—we need Catherine Templeton in Congress.”
Templeton said she is “honored” to have Wilson’s endorsement as she looks to unseat Mace, who is seeking her third term this November. She faces a couple of primary challengers, but polling has shown her significantly ahead of her competitors for now. She also has the backing of former President Donald Trump.
However, Wilson’s endorsement is notable considering it is rare, but not unheard of, for incumbents to endorse a challenger to a fellow incumbent. His support could draw longtime GOP donors and other lawmakers to Templeton’s campaign, boosting her in the primary.
“He is a son of the Lowcountry, and his servant leadership, decency, and hard work on behalf of South Carolina have been a blessing for us all,” Templeton said of Wilson, who has been in Congress representing the Palmetto State’s 2nd Congressional District since 2001. “I look forward to working with him in President Trump’s second term.”
A poll from the Hill and Emerson College released in late May found Mace with 47% of the vote, followed by Templeton with 22%, Bill Young with 7%, and 24% who remain undecided.
Mace was one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust former Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the speakership in October and has previously labeled Templeton as a “puppet in Kevin McCarthy’s bitter revenge operation.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
During a vote series on Tuesday, Mace and Wilson were seen having a brief but intense discussion on the House floor. When asked by Fox News what the conversation was about, Mace said she “told him I would never do to him what he has done to me.”
“There is a place in the party for people like me, people like him, Trump, MAGA, independents, women, everyone,” Mace said.