Summary
- Mac Deford may run for SC’s 1st District in 2026.
- Lost 2024 Democratic primary by under 700 votes.
- The Coast Guard vet and attorney focused on the
environment & housing. - Filed FEC paperwork and started an exploratory
committee this year. - Plans to challenge GOP incumbent Nancy Mace.
The Democrat submitted documents to the Federal
Election Commission on Monday after losing to Michael B. Moore in the party
primary. He would be looking for a chance to serve in the coastal 1st
Congressional District of South Carolina, which was substantially gerrymandered
after the 2020 election, causing Republican U.S. Representative Nancy Mace to
resign from a number of her more moderate posts.
Mace has won two more elections since 2020, each
time by progressively larger margins.
It is anticipated that Deford will formally announce a possible 2026 run “soon.”
His margin of defeat in the 2024 Democratic
Party primary was less than 700 votes.
There is still uncertainty in the Palmetto
State’s 1st Congressional District race. With a “special
announcement” allegedly “coming soon,” Mace has hinted that she
may be running for the governor’s house in a social media post.
Additionally, Mace recently stated that a
decision regarding her perhaps being “forced to run” in South
Carolina’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign is “pretty soon.”
In the meantime, Deford established an
exploratory committee in April to consider going back to the campaign road.
Deford was a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and a
former legal advisor to several coastal towns in the Lowcountry. His priorities
are increasing access to affordable housing and bolstering environmental
regulations.
According to his exploratory committee website,
the outspoken Mace critic would like to defend social security, protect
veterans’ welfare, hold the Trump administration responsible for federal
overreach, and reassert support for democratic institutions.
The Cook Political Report assigns Mace’s district
a R+6 rating. It was a R+7 in 2023.
What motivates Deford to consider running again
after losing the primary?
Mac Deford is motivated to consider running
again for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat after narrowly
losing the 2024 Democratic primary by fewer than 700 votes.
His background as an attorney and his previous
campaign experience, along with his focus on issues like environmental
protections, affordable housing, veterans’ well-being, and holding the Trump
administration accountable, position him with continued political engagement
and community support.
The prospect of the incumbent Republican Nancy
Mace potentially running for governor in 2026 also creates an opportunity for
Deford to mount another challenge in a district that has been trending more
Republican but where Democrats aim to regain ground.
