By Gabe WhisnantShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA campaign official for Rep. Nancy Mace, J. Austin McCubbin, quit Monday, accusing her of abandoning the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and urging President Donald Trump not to endorse her bid for South Carolina governor. In a lengthy statement, the departing campaign consultant said Mace has aligned herself with the Rand Paul and Thomas Massie wing of the Republican Party and is embracing support from a Paul-linked political action committee, the Protect Freedom PAC.
He also accused her of using his ties to Trump’s team while failing to honor commitments to him and rejecting warnings about the political risks of her new alliances. The rupture comes as Mace positions herself for a 2026 gubernatorial run in a state where Trump’s endorsement remains pivotal.
A spokesperson for Nancy Mace's campaign told Newsweek via text message Monday afternoon, “Mr. McCubbin didn’t raise a dime for the campaign or better yet, never even bothered showing up. When he demanded $10,000 a month for “services” and was told no, he ran straight to X. Good luck with that."The statement continued, "Nancy Mace has stood with President Trump since Day ONE. Mr. McCubbin said it himself: 'Nancy Mace will be the most pro-Trump and America First Governor in the country.'"
...McCubbin wrote, in part, "My loyalty lies with President Trump, my colleagues I worked with in the campaign trenches and the MAGA base that I had the privilege to work with as the Team Trump SC State Director. Governor McMaster has been a great governor. He has been very loyal to the President. South Carolina needs someone cut from the same cloth, where you know their word is their bond. My advice to the President, my friends in the White House, and South Carolina Trump voters: scratch her name from the list. As we say in South Carolina, there’s no lesson in the second kick of a mule."
McCubbin’s departure marks a sharp reversal from the campaign’s earlier message, which had touted him as a key asset in Mace’s 2026 bid. In a press release still posted on Mace’s website, the congresswoman announced that Trump’s former South Carolina state director was joining her gubernatorial campaign, praising his role in her 2022 primary victory and his ties to the former president.
The statement framed McCubbin as a major validator of Mace’s “America First” credentials and a bridge to Trump’s political operation.
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Updates: 12/1/25, 2:36 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Clarification: McCubbin's title has been updated to clarify he was a campaign consultant, not campaign manager.
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