South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace defied former President Donald Trump’s efforts to oust her, overcoming his depiction of her as an unhinged traitor to conservative values to win a Republican primary Tuesday against a rival he had endorsed.
Mace was leading former state Rep. Katie Arrington 53 percent to 45 percent when The Associated Press called the race at 11:13 p.m.
Mace’s victory — coming amid a series of nationally broadcast hearings from a House select committee investigating Trump’s role in firing up supporters ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — offers a potential playbook for fellow Republicans seeking to distance themselves from the former president while embracing policies he made popular with the Republican base.
