Republicans best hope to take out a House Democratic incumbent in November announced tonight that she’s sick with the coronavirus.
South Carolina state representative and Republican congressional candidate Nancy Mace says she tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
Mace will face Democrat Joe Cunningham in South Carolina’s First Congressional District in what is expected to be one of the most competitive congressional races in the country.
Mace posted on Twitter tonight, two weeks after she won the GOP primary election, that she had tested positive after finding out her campaign team was potentially exposed last week.
“Out of an abundance of caution and concern for my children and my team, I was tested for COVID-19,” she said. “Today, my physician administered the Abbott Sars-Cov-2 RNA ID now nasal swab rapid test and I tested positive for COVID-19 a few minutes later.”
Mace said she was feeling a little fatigued with body ache this past weekend.
“In consultation with my physician, I have personally contacted every individual, to the best of my knowledge, who has been in close proximity to me over the last week and may have been exposed,” she said.”I have asked for and paid for my staff and volunteers to get tested immediately. All of my campaign staff and volunteers have been instructed to self-quarantine and work remotely.”
Mace said she and her children will be in quarantine for the next two weeks or until she tests negative for COVID-19.
I have asked for and paid for my staff and volunteers to get tested immediately. All of my campaign staff and volunteers have been instructed to self-quarantine and work remotely.
My children and I will be in quarantine for the next two weeks or until I test negative for COVID.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) June 24, 2020
In March, Cunningham also tested positive for COVID-19. He experienced mild symptoms and quickly recovered from the virus.
The non-partisan Cook Political Report lists this House race as a “toss up.”
Cunningham won the Charleston-area district in 2018, a seat formally held by former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
National Republicans have made reclaiming the first district their top priority in the 2020 election cycle.
President Trump tweeted on June 11 that Mace was the “first woman to graduate from the Citadel.”
Despite very tough competition, @NancyMace had a tremendous victory on Tuesday in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. The first woman to graduate from the Citadel, she is a Great Warrior who we need in Washington now…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2020
Like many Republicans, Mace had pushed to end the coronavirus lockdown in an effort to place the economy before health.
“I do think our economy needs to reopen,” she said two weeks ago. “I do believe that we can still social distance people can wear masks and wash their hands and if they’re older or have underlying health conditions, they should stay home longer. But the entire economy shut down, people can’t pay their rent can’t pay their mortgages, there are dire economic and even health consequences to having 100 percent shut down.”
Cunningham has been more cautious.
“It is concerning to me to see the number of cases go up,” he said on June 11. “We’ve got to keep an eye on the infection rate because as we begin to test more people, the number of cases naturally will go up, but keep an eye on that infection rate.”
Mace is one of more than 26,000 South Carolinians who tested positive for COVID-19 since March.
South Carolina has recently seen a surge in cases and hospitalizations across the state.
More than 5,000 have tested positive for COVID since Friday.