Rep. Nancy Mace’s former top aide, Dan Hanlon, is considering running against her, and a driving force behind his decision is former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from his post last year with the help of Ms. Mace and seven other Republicans.
Mr. Hanlon was chief of staff to Ms. Mace, South Carolina Republican, until late last month. He got the top job in her office in part due to his experience working with the Trump administration.
He has been meeting with potential donors and team members as he considers whether to make the move against her, Politico reported.
“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.,” one Republican familiar with his decision-making told the outlet.
It’s rare to see an aide challenge his or her former boss, especially one who left the job not that long ago. But when The Washington Post reported that Mr. McCarthy was behind the push for Mr. Hanlon to explore a primary challenge against Ms. Mace, many observers suspected revenge may be involved.
Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, had a tumultuous tenure last year. After compromising with Democrats and President Biden on stopgap measures to fund the government and delay a shutdown, he was ousted by House Democrats with eight Republicans joining them — including Ms. Mace.
But there may be more behind the challenge. Another former staffer told the Post that Mr. Hanlon started looking into a primary bid once colleagues and constituents started to notice Ms. Mace was “increasingly difficult to work with” after some of the South Carolina Republican’s actions were brought to light.
Tempers have already flared, with Ms. Mace’s new chief of staff calling the police on Mr. Hanlon when he returned to give back his keys and other items.
One of the anonymous Republicans who spoke to the Post said that other former staffers of Ms. Mace are joining Mr. Hanlon’s campaign.
Mr. Hanlon has until South Carolina’s filing deadline of March 30 to decide if he’s open to the primary challenge.
