Commentary: Whose side is Nancy Mace on?

Ever since I first ran for office, I’ve puzzled everyone from the coterie of media to my Washington colleagues. They want to know “whose side is Nancy Mace on?” Many in Washington could never dream outside the false dichotomy of right versus left. But as is often the case, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one: I am on your side.

Say what you will about me — there’s nothing I haven’t been called. In fact, this week my opponent put a collage of hateful rhetoric about me online. And we wonder why my house and vehicle have been vandalized multiple times over the past few years.

To Michael B. Moore: Your hateful words will never break me.

Some in the media would have you believe I’m a raging partisan, that I only care about my side or self-promotion. But the truth is I am ranked as the 22nd most bipartisan member of Congress out of 435 members. An enormous feat in today’s divided political world.

My opponent barely unpacked his moving boxes before deciding his qualification to run for Congress was that he was student body president in eighth grade. He also lied about his endorsements. Since then, he’s proven he’s unaware of the district’s boundaries, let alone the hearts, minds and needs of Lowcountry residents.

You’d find a catalog of his most outrageous moments tiresome and untruthful. His continued use of harmful rhetoric directly endangers my family and me. I have never and will never use language that could incite violence.

This week my opponent said he was voting against the ballot question asking if only U.S. citizens should vote in South Carolina elections. This is disqualifying for anyone running for office and anyone serious about protecting democracy.

My opponent recently said rapists should be “disciplined.” I can think of a different word, one we can’t print here. We “discipline” our toddlers. Rapists should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, always.

I call balls and strikes as I see them — for both parties. Whenever I speak my mind, I do so with the interest of putting the Lowcountry first. Your challenges, your concerns and your needs are mine.

And while we might agree on some things and disagree on others, I will always tell you the truth.

As a survivor of domestic violence, and rape, I don’t consider women’s issues political; they’re personal. I’ve been the most vocal Republican on women’s rights in this country.

The reason South Carolina has exceptions for rape and incest in its abortion law is that I told my story of being raped as a teenager and pushed hard for changes.

After recent court rulings, I introduced legislation to protect IVF, and was the first member of Congress to do so. When other members of my party stood silent, I called for protecting access to mifepristone and protecting the mother’s decision in the Trisomy 18 cases in Texas.

I’ve drafted bills addressing access to contraceptives, maternal health care, birth control, adoption services, revenge porn, voyeurism, domestic violence and abuse, rape, mass violence, lowering the cost of child care, addressing infant deaths, sexual assault and incest.

I’ve supported women’s shelters seeking grant funding and have been a steadfast advocate for women seeking justice for their abuse. Know you have a friend and advocate in me. I will fight for you.

We all stand on the shoulders of women who came before us. When I think about the world my daughter will inherit, I aim to be a giant, for her and other young women who will do more than any of us could have ever imagined.

Elections are about the future. So for those still making that choice, as your hand hovers over the ballot box, I’ll ask: Who do you want standing at the brink?

I have spent my time in Congress working tirelessly for you. Serving the Lowcountry is the honor of my life. I don’t take asking for your vote once again lightly.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace represents South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

Read the original publication at the Post and Courier here.