Encyclopedia · Biography

Nancy Mace

Republican member of the U.S. House from South Carolina (2021–2027)

Personal details

Full name
Nancy Ruth Mace
Born
December 4, 1977 · Fayetteville, North Carolina
Parents
James Emory Mace and Anne Mace
Education
The Citadel, B.A. (1999); University of Georgia, master’s (2004)
Former spouses
Chris Niemiec (1999–2002); Curtis Jackson (2004–2019)
Children
Two
Public office
South Carolina House (2018–2020); U.S. House, SC-01 (since 2021; term ends January 2027)
Party
Republican

Nancy Mace is an American Republican politician serving South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the first woman to graduate from the Citadel’s Corps of Cadets and served in the South Carolina House of Representatives before entering Congress in January 2021.

Early life and education

Mace was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and grew up in South Carolina in a military family. She graduated from The Citadel in 1999 and earned a graduate degree at the University of Georgia in 2004. Before entering politics, she worked in public relations, marketing and real estate and wrote a memoir about attending The Citadel.

Family

Mace was previously married to Chris Niemiec and Curtis Jackson. She and Jackson have two children. Her congressional biography identifies her as the mother of two; personal relationship claims outside the public record are not included.

Political career

She served in the South Carolina House from 2018 to 2020 and defeated Democratic incumbent Joe Cunningham in the 2020 U.S. House election. In the 119th Congress, she served on Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform, and Veterans’ Affairs committees, and chaired Oversight’s Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation Subcommittee.

In 2026 Mace sought the Republican nomination for governor instead of another congressional term. She did not advance from the June 9 Republican primary. Her House term continues through January 3, 2027, absent earlier change in office.

Political positioning

Mace was a campaign supporter of Donald Trump but also publicly criticized him in the aftermath of January 6, 2021. Their political relationship changed across election cycles; a dated statement or endorsement is preferable to treating it as a static alliance.

References

  1. U.S. House History — Nancy Mace biographical entry
  2. U.S. House Clerk — Nancy Mace current term and committees
  3. Rep. Nancy Mace — About and background
  4. Rep. Nancy Mace — committee assignments
  5. Ballotpedia — Nancy Mace career and 2026 primary
  6. CBS News — Nancy Mace 2026 governor primary result
  7. The Independent — Nancy Mace prior spouses

Research assembled from sources available as of November 13, 2026. Correctly dated records take priority over later summaries. Unresolved relationships are omitted from public-facing narrative.

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Documented connections

These are specifically described relationships in public records. A shared institution, appointment or event does not by itself demonstrate coordination or wrongdoing.

  • Donald Trump (person) — Campaign-era political relationship, including public differences · 2016–2026