Rep. Nancy Mace has a serious and embarrassing problem

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace has a serious problem (besides her consistent record of voting against LGBTQ+ rights). According to a new report in The Daily Beast, she struggles to retain staff in her DC office.

It reports the Republican lawmaker experienced a total staff turnover in just three months. Out of the nine staff she had at the start of November 2023, eight have quit. The other one, former chief of staff Dan Hanlon, was fired at the start of December. Two weeks ago, he filed to run against Mace in South Carolina.

Ouch.

The Daily Beast tracked down three of Mace’s former staffers and talked to them under the guise of anonymity. They all gave a similar tale, alleging a “toxic” and “demoralizing” workplace.

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One said Mace would “micromanage the office all day and into the night and early morning” via a “constant” stream of messages to staff. There was allegedly a rule allowing them eight minutes to respond.

“Nancy is delusional as a boss,” one former staffer said. “She says nothing publicly without her consultants or senior staffers telling her to, but takes credit for everything. She’s a walking teleprompter.”

Last year, The Daily Beast obtained what former staffers for Mace said was a handbook they were issued with.

It included the request that communications staff book Mace on a national TV outlet between one and three times per day, and on local TV channels at least six times per week. Each staffer was also expected to come up with draft tweets for Mace.

Mace’s new chief of staff, Lori Khatod, dismissed the latest report about staff turnover. She told The Daily Beast it was a “non-issue”.

“​​New coach, new team in the DC office,” Khatod said via text.

Responding to an accusation that Mace forbade staff from taking an hour off on Good Friday to attend a mass service, Khatod said, “Like most offices, we do not discuss internal processes. We adhere and accommodate employees whose sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances conflict with regular work requirements.”

Who is Nancy Mace?

Nancy Mace, 46, was first elected to represent South Carolina’s first Congressional District in the US House in 2020. Before this, she’d served in the South Carolina House.

She has a low score of just 14 (out of a maximum of 100) on HRC’s most recent Congressional Scorecard. This rates lawmakers by their voting record for LGBTQ+ equality.

Since assuming office, she has consistently spoken out against trans rights.

We want to protect women and girls. Biological men should not be in female locker rooms, or competing against women in sports. pic.twitter.com/qrkQCgWRwE

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) May 1, 2023

Mace campaigned for Donald Trump in 2016. She then spoke out against him in the immediate aftermath of the January 6th insurrection. She faced criticism last month when she again endorsed Trump as the Republican Presidential nominee.

This you, @NancyMace? https://t.co/rErWz4cYns pic.twitter.com/Ozfw9dn1jj

— Gabe Sanchez  (@iamgabesanchez) January 22, 2024

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