Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Sunday did not directly endorse a crime crackdown in her state of South Carolina, even as Trump administration officials are signaling that such enforcement operations in red states are on the table.
When asked in a Fox News appearance whether she would “welcome” the prospect of National Guard members patrolling high-crime areas in the Palmetto State, Mace pivoted to the potential National Guard deployment to Chicago that President Donald Trump has threatened over the past week.
“I hope that President Trump has the resources to send soldiers to Chicago if that’s what it takes. That is one of the most violent cities in America,” she said. “I look forward to watching the videos of soldiers entering Chicago and getting Chicago safer than it’s ever been because the mayor certainly is not doing it, neither is the governor.”
Mace’s dodge comes shortly after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that there “absolutely” are plans to deploy troops to Republican-led cities with high crime rates, in what would be operations similar to the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C.
Trump has been touting the progress of that crime crackdown in the district, which has led to over 1,000 arrests, while also teasing future ones, including in Chicago.
Trump’s crime crackdown has seen multiple Republican governors sending in their National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., including South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
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Mace is running for McMaster’s seat in the governor’s mansion, as he is term limited.
On Sunday, Mace claimed she is 10 points ahead of her challengers for the Republican nomination, which include Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, among others.