Nancy Mace faces Kevin McCarthy-backed challenger in Republican primary
CBSN
The race to represent South Carolina's first Congressional District is shaping up to be a proxy fight between Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace and former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
Mace, who is seeking a third term in Congress, was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy as Speaker last year. Since then, McCarthy has rallied behind Republican primary candidates running against his defectors, including Mace's primary challenger, Catherine Templeton, the former director of the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation under then-Gov. Nikki Haley.
No incumbents have lost in primaries so far this cycle unless redistricting has come into play. But campaign finance filings show McCarthy's political action committee, Majority Committee PAC, has donated to Templeton's campaign, making Mace the first GOP McCarthy ouster to be challenged at the ballot box.
