Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Sunday faced pushback from across the political spectrum after she went “Godfather” mode to tease a run to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in the Senate following his unexpected death.
Mace — in a post to X — shared a clip of an iconic scene from “The Godfather: Part III,” quoting Al Pacino’s character Michael Corleone with the caption, “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in….”
The congresswoman, who used her account to pay tribute to Graham in a pair of earlier posts, appeared to hint at launching a bid to fill the seat left open by Graham, who spent over two decades representing South Carolina in the Senate and was heavily favored to win a fifth term following a GOP primary win last month.
Hours later, Mace floated her interest in the seat during an appearance on Fox News.
“We’re all still just sitting here stunned and shocked that this has happened,” she said, adding, “I’m never gonna shut the door. I love the state of South Carolina. You only live once, and you know, if the people of South Carolina would like me to serve in that capacity, I’ll certainly take a look at it.”
Per South Carolina law, Gov. Henry McMaster (R) is expected to appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of Graham’s term through Jan. 3.
A special GOP primary is set to take place Aug. 11 for voters to decide on a Republican nominee who will face Annie Andrews (D) in November’s general election.
Critics such as Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) slammed Mace over what he called her “INSANE way” of commenting on the death of her colleague.
And at least one fellow Republican has called out Mace.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) — who is running for reelection — described the post as “grotesque,” writing, “Taking glee over the potential of becoming a Senator because of a vacancy created by the sudden death of your colleague is vile. Completely unfit to serve.”
Others hit Mace with a brutal reminder on where she stands with South Carolina voters.
The congresswoman finished in fifth place in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary last month. She conceded the race and endorsed Republican nominee Alan Wilson.