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Top Adviser Quits, Accuses Nancy Mace of Turning Her Back on MAGA and Embracing Rand Paul–Massie Faction

Key points: A top adviser to Rep. Nancy Mace resigned, accusing her of turning away from MAGA and aligning with the Rand Paul–Thomas Massie faction. Austin McCubbin says a Protect Freedom PAC began spending for Mace without his knowledge and alleges she asked a friend to give a seven‑figure donation to Rand Paul’s PAC. The campaign responded that McCubbin raised no funds and demanded $10,000 a month. Mace is running in a competitive GOP primary for South Carolina governor and has a history of defying party leadership.

03:49 AM, 12/02/2025Politics

A top campaign consultant for Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) announced Monday that he is quitting, accusing the congresswoman of abandoning President Trump’s policy agenda in favor of the Rand Paul–Thomas Massie wing of the Republican Party.

Austin McCubbin, who ran former President Trump’s South Carolina political operation during the 2024 cycle and has previously advised Mace, posted his resignation on the social platform X. McCubbin said he learned last month that the Rand Paul‑affiliated Protect Freedom PAC had begun spending on Mace’s behalf without his knowledge.

“Nancy Mace has yet again decided to turn her back on MAGA to hug the political cactus that is the Rand Paul + Thomas Massie wing of the Party,” McCubbin wrote. He also alleged that after a recent conversation Mace told him she was directing “a personal friend to fund a 7‑figure check to Rand’s PAC.”

McCubbin said he originally assumed the PAC’s activity was independent and that campaigns cannot control outside spending. He added that when he warned Mace about the political risks, she would not listen and dismissed his concerns as “mansplaining.”

A campaign spokesperson pushed back sharply, suggesting McCubbin's motives were financial. “Mr. McCubbin didn’t raise a dime for the campaign or, better yet, never even bothered showing up,” the spokesperson said, adding that McCubbin had demanded $10,000 a month for services and left after being denied. The campaign also reiterated that Nancy Mace has stood with President Trump since day one and quoted McCubbin as saying Mace would be “the most pro‑Trump and America First Governor in the country.”

Mace is competing in a crowded Republican primary for South Carolina governor to succeed term‑limited Gov. Henry McMaster. The field includes state Attorney General Alan Wilson, Rep. Ralph Norman, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. The GOP nominee is widely expected to win the general election in the state next year.

Mace has a record of occasionally breaking with party leaders. In 2023 she was among the Republicans who voted to remove then‑House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and more recently she joined a small group backing a discharge petition to require the Justice Department to release certain records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. That measure advanced quickly after signals of support from Trump.

As of this writing, President Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the South Carolina governor’s race.

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