This story originally appeared on South Carolina Daily Gazette. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina’s coastal 1st Congressional District became the fifth GOP candidate to enter the 2026 governor’s race Monday,

The Charleston-area congresswoman was once a moderate Republican, but has more recently presented herself as a loyal supporter of President Trump.

"It's obviously going to make the race very fractious, very interesting with the potential to have a lot of unflattering portraits," a pollster told Newsweek.