Mace’s Anti-lgbtq+ Campaign: South Carolina Governor’s Rac

” I will certainly hold the line,” Mace stated repeatedly, casting herself as a warrior against what she called “the gender cult,” undocumented immigrants, and public colleges that recognize the presence of more than two sexes. “We’re mosting likely to ban pronouns in the classroom,” she added. “I want children getting back with A’s and B’s, not they/them.”

Mace’s Campaign Platform: Anti-Trans Stance

South Carolina already enforces among the toughest anti-trans legislations in the country, banning gender-affirming treatment not just for minors but also for grownups whose treatment is moneyed by Medicaid or state staff member insurance. A government legal action brought by 3 trans South Carolinians is pending. Mace made clear she intends to go also additionally, warning that any college, K– 12 or college, that “allows biological males in females’s restrooms or locker rooms” would be cut off from all public funding.

It was a project launch specified not by policy, but by persecution. She reposted that quote last week with her subtitle: “We approve of this message.

At Monday’s campaign kickoff, she leaned right into similar styles, guaranteeing to cut all state funding from colleges that “can’t define what a lady is,” to get rid of state income tax obligation within five years, and to defund constables and prosecutors she deems as well lax. Without providing evidence, she implicated police officials of releasing undocumented “murderers, rapists, and pedophiles” into South Carolina areas.

Mace’s main entry right into the 2026 governor’s race comes just days after she published on social media, “FALSE: I am not giving up Congress. TRUE: Honored transphobe,” in response to a heading from The Supporter that called attention to her statewide aspirations.

Standing prior to a tiny group of supporters, Mace cast herself as an outsider unafraid of fight, stating, “I had not been constructed to kiss the ring. I simply put on one.” Her campaign video clip included a clip of Trump calling her “a fighter,” while her speech echoed his signature blend of complaint and blowing. “If you rip off the system, you’re mosting likely to pay the cost,” she claimed, vowing to penalize organizations that employ undocumented labor and defund colleges that “push gender belief.”

On Monday early morning, the Republican politician South Carolina congresswoman depended on the parade ground of The Castle, where she became the very first woman to finish from the armed forces university’s Corps of Cadets in 1999, and introduced a gubernatorial bid steeped in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, white nationalist pet dog whistles, and a relentless addiction on visualized dangers to “children and women.”

Christopher Wiggins is The Supporter’s senior national press reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the intersection of public policy and politics with LGBTQ+ lives, consisting of The White Home, United State Congress, High Court, and federal agencies. He has written numerous cover story accounts for The Advocate’s print publication, profiling numbers like Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, long time LGBTQ+ ally Vice Head of state Kamala Harris, and ABC Greetings America Weekend anchor Gio Benitez. Wiggins is committed to magnifying untold stories, particularly as the 2nd Trump management’s plans influence LGBTQ+ (and specifically transgender) rights, and can be gotten to at christopher.wiggins@equalpride.com or on BlueSky at cwnewser.bsky.social; whistleblowers can firmly contact him on Signal at cwdc.98.

Controversy and Criticism Erupt

That statement drew condemnation from LGBTQ+ advocates and legislators. Rep. Mark Pocan, a gay Democrat from Wisconsin, called her “batshit insane.” The Human Rights Campaign’s Laurel Powell defined Mace’s actions as “a nationwide embarrassment” and “a computed scheme for attention.”

Christopher Wiggins is The Advocate’s elderly national press reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the crossway of public policy and national politics with LGBTQ+ lives, consisting of The White Home, U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, and government agencies. He has created multiple cover tale accounts for The Supporter’s print publication, profiling numbers like Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, longtime LGBTQ+ ally Vice Head of state Kamala Harris, and ABC Good Early morning America Weekend break anchor Gio Benitez. Christopher Wiggins is The Supporter’s elderly national press reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the intersection of public policy and politics with LGBTQ+ lives, including The White Home, U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, and federal firms. He has actually written numerous cover story profiles for The Advocate’s print publication, profiling figures like Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, long time LGBTQ+ ally Vice President Kamala Harris, and ABC Good Early morning America Weekend break support Gio Benitez.

Shifting Political Identity

Once a self-described LGBTQ+ ally who advised Republicans were alienating country citizens, Mace has invested the in 2014 rebranding herself as the GOP’s many forthright transphobe, a change she has aggressively shown off.

Christopher Wiggins is The Advocate’s senior nationwide reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the intersection of public law and national politics with LGBTQ+ lives, including The White Residence, United State Congress, High Court, and federal agencies. He has composed numerous cover story accounts for The Supporter’s print publication, profiling figures like Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, longtime LGBTQ+ ally Vice Head of state Kamala Harris, and ABC Greetings America Weekend support Gio Benitez. Wiggins is dedicated to intensifying untold stories, particularly as the second Trump administration’s plans impact LGBTQ+ (and especially transgender) legal rights, and can be reached at christopher.wiggins@equalpride.com or on BlueSky at cwnewser.bsky.social; whistleblowers can firmly contact him on Signal at cwdc.98.

During a recent project stop in New Hampshire, she falsely claimed the National Institutes of Health and wellness spent $26 million to produce “transgender mice,” questioned whether she was permitted to state the anti-trans slur “tr *** y” at an online occasion, and praised YouTube videos revealing ICE representatives dragging undocumented immigrants out of courts.

Mace made clear she means to go also better, alerting that any college, K– 12 or university, that “allows biological men in ladies’s washrooms or storage locker spaces” would be reduced off from all public financing.