Mace on criticism she's too combative to govern in SC: 'These fights are worth fighting for'

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Monday evening pushed back on claims she is too combative to be a governor, just hours after the GOP lawmaker launched her gubernatorial campaign.

“In fact, these fights are worth fighting for, whether we’re talking about illegal immigration or men in women’s spaces or, in my case, in the state of South Carolina we have the highest state income tax in the southeast, she said Monday evening during an appearance on NewsNation. "There’s nothing combative about wanting a bigger, better and brighter future for the entire state of South Carolina."

“And in fact, contrary to the mainstream media, I’m actually one of the top legislative lawmakers in Congress,” she told "On Balance" host Leland Vittert.

Mace has faced criticism in recent months after she introduced a resolution late last year that would bar those in the Capitol from using bathrooms that match their gender identity. The controversial move was heavily denounced by Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first transgender woman elected to Congress.

In Monday's interview, the lawmaker touted moves she's made that align with President Trump's "America First" agenda and lashed out at Democrats.

The South Carolina Republican is polling as the GOP front-runner in the governor's race.

“I’m ranked in the [top] ten or twelfth — in the 1.59 percent of all 435 lawmakers on the Hill in the House. I’m one of the top ones,” she told Vittert on Monday.

“We draft two to three bills a week. And in fact, this morning when I unveiled my campaign for governor of South Carolina, I unveiled an 8-point plan to make our state more prosperous, how to improve education, how to reduce taxes, how to combat illegal immigration, all of those things," she continued. "It was a very policy-oriented speech. So, I would say the mainstream media didn’t see the same speech I spoke at this morning."

A South Carolina Policy Council survey from last month found Mace has garnered 16 percent support from Republican-identifying voters. Her numbers put her at the forefront of a crowded GOP primary, polling ahead of state Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell. 

Asked about the importance of an endorsement from Trump, Mace signaled she would "work hard" to get the president's support.

"Well, I think that in any race in the country, for governor, for Congress, for Senate, all down the ballot, Donald Trump’s ... endorsement as president is key to the success of any race," she told NewsNation. "He is a kingmaker. In this case possible queen-maker in the race for governor of South Carolina."

Mace added, "I’m being dead serious. And I will work very hard to earn it."