Nancy Mace's former chief of staff considers primary challenge against her: Report

South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace may be facing a primary challenge from her former chief of staff in what may ultimately become one of the most bitter intra-party battles of the 2024 campaign season.

Dan Hanlon, a former Trump administration official who served as Mace's chief of staff from 2022 until last month, is now meeting with potential donors and possible campaign staffers, according to a report in Politico.

While South Carolina's Republican presidential primary is February 24, Hanlon must decide by the March 30 filing deadline whether he wants to launch a bid against Nancy Mace ahead of the state's U.S. House primaries on June 11. 

Mace angered some House Republicans after she voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in October, so any primary challenge is guaranteed to receive attention.

"Hanlon has been pleased with how well the idea has been received and how many people are looking for a Mace alternative, both money people in D.C. and movers and shakers in S.C.," a Republican familiar with the matter said. 

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