A top adviser to Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in her 2026 campaign for governor resigned Monday because the congresswoman has been disloyal to President Trump, according to a post on X.
Austin McCubbin, who formerly served as South Carolina state director for President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, wrote in his post that he could no longer work for Mace since she "has yet again decided to turn her back on MAGA to hug the political cactus that is the [Sen.] Rand Paul + [Rep.] Thomas Massie wing of the Party."
McCubbin said Mace took advantage of his "Team Trump status" while failing to pay him and has now "fully embraced" a Paul-aligned super PAC, including encouraging a friend to provide seven-figure funding.
"I am 100% breaking with her campaign out of loyalty to the President," he wrote.
He argued that Mace is effectively serving as a proxy for Paul's 2028 presidential ambitions and ignored McCubbin's warnings about the risks.
McCubbin urged Trump allies and South Carolina supporters to drop Mace, saying the state needs a candidate with the loyalty of Gov. Henry McMaster.
"Governor McMaster has been a great governor. He has been very loyal to the President," McCubbin said.
"South Carolina needs someone cut from the same cloth, where you know their word is their bond.”
A spokesperson for the Mace campaign said in a statement: "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.
"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,'" the statement said.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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