In just four years in Congress, Rep. Nancy Mace (RS.C) went from being an unknown moderate South Carolina congressman to the public face of the MAGA movement.
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If she seems to be all over your TV these days, there’s a good reason for that. She’s paying to be there.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, Mace spent $165,000 during this campaign solely for the purpose of appearing on television.
Mace recently launched a blistering attack on cable news against his transgender colleague, Rep. Sarah McBridge (D-Delaware), for using the women’s restroom at the Capitol.
She spoke about the initiative on a series of hit Fox News shows, saying: Fox News@Night, night editand fox and friends weekend.
The media blitz over the toilet bill has been denounced by her critics as a publicity stunt.
But this isn’t the first time Mace has faced criticism for TV being her top priority.
leaked document According to information from her office reported by The Daily Beast, staffers told Mace that she was expected to “book at least 15 television appearances per week, meaning a minimum of nine on national television; It has been broadcast more than six times on local broadcast stations.”
Former Mace staff members say the following. washingtoniansaid Mace’s focus is on the Sunday show, not voters.
“She’s not a legitimate lawmaker or a serious lawmaker. She’s just using her office to get on TV.”
She also spent a significant amount of campaign funds, according to the FEC report.
From February 2023 to October 2024, Mace I made 8 payments A total of $165,000 ($7,5000-$30,000 each) was paid to Driver Eight Media LLC for “media consulting.”
And while media consulting can cover a wide range of topics, Driver Eight Media’s remit is very narrow: getting candidates to appear on TV.
The company, started by a former Fox News producer, is “focused on booking clients for high-profile interviews on broadcast and cable television.”
It also offers media training, “preparing, coaching, and training clients before and after television appearances.”
But its main purpose is appearance.
The company’s founder, Alex Finland, touts his clients on numerous Fox shows. Hanity and SSpecial report by Brett Beyerin addition to flagship programming on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, ABC and CBS.
These are the shows Mace has appeared on since joining Driver Eight Media’s services.
Over the past year, Mace has shared clips of herself on her YouTube page. fox and friends, fox businessHannityand CNN programs. lead with Jake Tapper, state of the unionand this morning with Caitlin Collins. She has also appeared on NBC meet the press with Chuck Todd and Katie Toole reports In addition to MSNBC, he has also appeared on programs on ABC and CBS.
Only Mace herself can say whether it was a sound investment, but she’s been involved in some high-profile TV moments over the past year.
Interview she did with George Stephanopoulos this week March 2024 has been at the center of recent media news.
in segmentStephanopoulos cited the New York civil court ruling against Trump on decades-old sexual assault charges, and how Mace has repeatedly said that President-elect Donald Trump is “responsible for rape.” I repeatedly pressed Mace about whether he could help.
Mace spoke out about her own sexual assault and accused Stephanopoulos of humiliating her by asking about Trump.
“You’re asking me about my political choices to shame and make people uncomfortable as rape victims,” Mace said.
ABC recently She settled her defamation lawsuit with Trump for $15 million after the president was found to be responsible for sexual assault, not rape.
In August, Mace was at the center of a heated segment on CNN. Race situationThere she fought with author Michael Eric Dyson over the right to pronounce Vice President Kamala Harris’ first name.
Mace: “Anyway, I’ll say Kamala’s name.” declared.
“When you disrespect Kamala Harris by saying you can call her whatever you want… that is a history and a legacy of white people’s disregard for the humanity of black people,” Dyson responded.
“Oh, so you’re calling me a racist?” Mace replied. “That’s BS.”
The segment exploded. At a Congressional hearing a few days later, Mace said: called Criticism of her comments was a “false outrage” and she entered into the record a text in which she said Dyson attacked her.
Dyson denied that his text was anything They said they were inappropriate and Mace misrepresented them to the public.
Driver Eight Media also provides media referrals to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Republican National Committee, but those are listed as media buying and referrals, not consulting, as in Mace’s filing.
The company also produced and published media for Congressman John James (R-Mich.).
But not all of those efforts were completely successful. This cycle, he provided media consulting for defeated 2024 Republican challenger Doug Burgum.
Driver Eight Media declined to comment to the Daily Dot. Mace’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
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