Firebrand GOP Rep. Nancy Mace launches bid for South Carolina governor

Rep. Nancy Mace, who has at times broken with her own GOP leaders and often courted controversy, launched a long-expected bid for governor of South Carolina on Monday, shaking up a crowded primary race that already includes big names in the Palmetto State.“I didn’t come to join the club.

Rep. Nancy Mace, who has at times broken with her own GOP leaders and often courted controversy, launched a long-expected bid for governor of South Carolina on Monday, shaking up a crowded primary race that already includes big names in the Palmetto State.

“I didn’t come to join the club. They don’t want me, and I don’t want them," Mace said in a speech at the Citadel, the military college in Charleston, where she made history 26 years ago as the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets. "I came to hold the line. They said stay quiet; I spoke up. They said sit down; I stood up. They said play nice, and I fought back.”

“This isn’t about playing defense," Mace added. "This is about going on offense for you — for your family, for your freedom and for your future … I wasn’t built to kiss the ring. I just wear one. I don’t answer to the establishment. I don’t owe those in the back room a single thing. I answer to the people. And the people, let me tell you, are fed up."

Rep. Nancy Mace announced she is running for governor of South Carolina.Kevin Dietsch / Getty ImagesDonald Trump hasn't endorsed a candidate in the race, but her first campaign video includes a clip of the president saying: "Nancy Mace, she’s a fighter. I know about that, she’s a fighter." And her campaign platform calls for a "zero-tolerance approach to crime," cutting the state income tax to zero and stopping "the radical gender agenda" and "woke ideology" in South Carolina schools.

"We're going to ban pronouns in the classroom," Mace said Monday morning as she ticked through her policy platform. "I don't want to see any glitter parties. I want kids coming home with A's and B's, not they and them. We're going to have tech free school zones."