Republicans nationwide are gearing up for 2026 elections, with Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina being the latest to announce her candidacy.
Mace, who has spent weeks teasing a gubernatorial campaign, formally entered the race Monday morning. Mace is now the second House Republican to enter the South Carolina governor's race, following Rep. Ralph Norman's announcement in July.
'South Carolina doesn't need another politician who folds when things get tough.'
"God’s not done with South Carolina and neither am I," Mace said in her announcement on X. "You and me. Our mission begins now."
Mace launched her campaign during a speech at her alma mater, The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, where she became the first female graduate in 1999.
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"South Carolina is tired of politicians who smile for the cameras, lie to your face, and then vanish when it's time to leave," Mace said in her announcement speech. "I'm none of them."
"South Carolina needs a governor who will drag the truth into sunlight and flip the table if that's what it takes," Mace added. "South Carolina doesn't need another politician who folds when things get tough."
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Mace will be facing off against Norman as well as state Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell to succeed current Gov. Henry McMaster (R).
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Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) announced his bid for governor on Friday. Joining a crowded 2026 gubernatorial race on the Republican side, Norman's campaign faces an uphill battle due to his spotted record of support for President Trump.
A longtime member of the House Freedom Caucus, Norman has often been called one of the most conservative members of the House, according to GovTrack.us. Norman has held a U.S. House seat representing District 5 since winning a special election in 2017, when he took Mick Mulvaney's seat, whom Trump tapped to lead the Office of Management and Budget in his first term.
'He’s the political establishment’s worst nightmare.'
The fiscal conservative heavyweight currently sits on the House Committees on Budget, Financial Services, and Rules, as well as a few subcommittees.
“Ralph Norman believes we must finally clean up Columbia and pass term limits, so we can prepare South Carolina for the future by fixing our roads and improving our schools," a spokesman for Ralph Norman's campaign told Blaze News. "He’s the political establishment’s worst nightmare.”
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According to the Associated Press, Norman is not expected to seek Trump's endorsement, despite the president's indisputable influence on conservative politics in South Carolina. Norman endorsed Nikki Haley and appeared on her 2024 campaign trail.
Norman has been involved in several controversies, including his rejection of the January 6 committee, which he called "a politically motivated exercise with a pre-determined outcome," as well as an incident in which he pulled out a loaded gun during a constituent meeting to demonstrate that “guns don’t shoot people, people shoot guns.” In May 2021, Norman refused to wear a mask in Congress and was fined after a failed appeal.
Norman is joining a crowded governor race in 2026. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R), South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R) have made their official announcements. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) has said she is "seriously considering" a run for the position but has not made any formal announcement.
State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, a Democrat, formed an exploratory committee about a possible run in 2026.
The Republican Governors Association did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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A former elementary school teacher in South Carolina is accused of engaging in a "prolonged and inappropriate relationship" with a teenage boy, according to police.
Multiple jurisdictions have been investigating the allegations.
'Looking back, it sickens me knowing Nikki manipulated our son and our family.'
The Anderson County Sheriff's Office charged Nicole Ballew Callaham, 33, with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Greenville Police Department hit Callaham with eight counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, as the alleged victim attended school there. In addition, the Clemson City Police Department has been conducting a parallel investigation.
The Anderson School District Five stated that Callaham had been a kindergarten teacher for the Homeland Park Primary School from 2017 until her May 21 resignation.
The Anderson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that an investigation into Callaham was launched in May 2025 after police discovered evidence of misconduct against a teenage boy.
The Greenville Police Department added in a press release, "The investigation revealed that Callaham engaged in an inappropriate and unlawful relationship with a 14-year-old male."
Police said the alleged misconduct began in 2021 when the boy was 14 and continued for at least two years.
Investigators said Callaham "engaged in grooming behavior toward the boy during his early teenage years."
"The relationship intensified as she reportedly signed the student out of school, transported him to practices, and served as a supervisor for after-school activities," the Anderson County Sheriff's Office stated.
Detectives said Callaham engaged in a "prolonged pattern of abuse, which was corroborated by search warrants and ongoing cooperation with the victim's family."
Citing arrest warrants, WHNS-TV reported that Callaham provided the alleged victim with marijuana, nicotine, and alcohol. The arrest warrants also accused Callaham of engaging in sexual intercourse with the teen boy at a Greenville hotel and a downtown Greenville parking garage.
Callaham "voluntarily surrendered herself" Thursday morning to the Anderson County Detention Center, the sheriff's office said. The next day, Callaham was booked at the Greenville County Detention Center.
During Callaham's bond hearing in Anderson County last week, a detective read a letter in court from the mother of the alleged victim, according to WYFF-TV. The mother claimed that her family first met Callaham while she was serving as the director of musical theater productions for a play in which her son performed.
"Our son, who was an innocent, naive 14-year-old boy, had worked hard for years in hopes of earning a lead role. Our son was finally given an opportunity by Nikki, and we were beyond thrilled for him," the mother wrote.
The mother said she and her husband "trusted her completely with our son, as she seemed to be a wonderful mentor to our son and other young actors and actresses by investing in them."
"Looking back, it sickens me knowing Nikki manipulated our son and our family," the mother stressed. "She was waiting on this opportunity, and she found the perfect victim and family to prey on."
The letter stated, "She saw our son's innocence and that he was very easily manipulated. ... She saw a family who had a lot of love and kindness to share with those who needed it."
The mother accused Callaham of having a "plan to groom our son" and added that Callaham referred to her as her "best friend."
"However, Nikki was abusing our trust and abusing our young teenage son right under our noses," she wrote.
The mother claimed that Callaham "led a double life" and put up a "facade" to "blind us from her evil, sick intentions."
The mother added that Callaham is a "sick, twisted, calculating sex offender."
The mother also said she witnessed behaviors around her son that were "questionable and inappropriate," and her family instructed her to cease all contact with the teen.
The mother alleged that Callaham continued to contact her son through social media and purchased an Xbox video game system in order to interact with him.
WHSV-TV reported that the alleged victim — identified as Grant Strickland — spoke out following Callaham's bond hearing.
The station said he decided to come forward as an 18-year-old after time spent processing the trauma he said he experienced.
Strickland told WSPA-TV that confronting Callaham was like a "weight lifted off his shoulders." He noted that he was a "child" when the alleged misconduct occurred.
"All I really want the public to know is that that was a traumatic event. I'm here to fight, and I'm not going to back down," Strickland said following the hearing, according to WRDW-TV. "I think more awareness needs to be brought to things like this. And just because I'm a man doesn't mean that it should be shunned away. Because I was a child."
Strickland added, "I would love to bring more awareness to show that this happens, and it happens a lot, and it's not just to women. It's to men too, and it happens to young children, and it's gotta stop."
Strickland continued, "I would never want somebody to go through what I went through, because I don't really think that most people would be strong enough to survive it. Because I almost didn't."
WSAV-TV reported that at Callaham's bond hearing in Greenville on Monday, she was seen smiling at people in the courtroom, including her family and fiancé.
Callaham's lawyer asked for leniency since his client is pregnant and needs prenatal care.
"Miss Callaham is eight to nine weeks pregnant," attorney William Epps III said.
Her bond was set at $120,000 in Greenville County, and her bond was set at $40,000 in Anderson County.
WRDW reported that as part of her bond requirements, Callaham will be placed under house arrest until she secures employment. A judge also ordered Callaham to not have contact with the alleged victim; in addition, she must undergo a psychological evaluation and will be required to wear a GPS monitor.
The Anderson County Sheriff's Office stated that the Anderson School District Five is aware of the investigation and charges made against Callaham.
Blaze News reached out to the Anderson School District Five for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block a lower court order authorizing a trans-identifying South Carolina student to use the school bathroom of her choice. In an unsigned order, the high court rejected an emergency request from South Carolina to stay a temporary order by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling, […]
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