- Nancy Mace just endorsed Donald Trump over her home state's former Gov. Nikki Haley.
- That's despite Haley backing Mace over a Trump-backed primary challenger in 2022.
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has made her choice.
The South Carolina Republican threw her weight behind former President Donald Trump, telling the Associated Press that "the time has come to unite behind our nominee."
Yet Trump, despite a massive polling lead and a blowout win in Iowa last week, is not yet the party's nominee.
In fact, a one-time political ally of Mace is still hoping to prevent that from being the case.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is set to take on Trump in a one-on-one matchup in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, following Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's suspension of his campaign.
After that comes the South Carolina primary on February 24, where Mace theoretically could've stumped for Haley — who notably campaigned on Mace's behalf when she faced a Trump-backed primary challenger in 2022.
That primary challenge was spurred in large part by Mace's prior criticism of Trump, particularly after the January 6 insurrection.
"Every accomplishment that Republicans have made over the last four years, including President Trump had (made) were wiped out in just a few short hours," Mace told The Post and Courier on January 7, 2021.
And Mace has offered high praise for Haley throughout the primary, saying she was "cheering her on" even as she withheld an official endorsement.
But ultimately, political calculations may have won the day.
"I don't see eye to eye perfectly with any candidate," Mace told the Associated Press. "Donald Trump's record in his first term should tell every America how vital it is he be returned to office."
The South Carolina congresswoman may be facing another primary challenge, this time from her own former chief of staff. And Republicans on Capitol Hill have grown tired of Mace's antics, particularly after she joined 7 other Republicans in voting to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.
She also faces a Democratic opponent who's seeking to capitalize in part on those antics, which included wearing a "scarlet letter" on her shirt in October to make a point about how she'd be "demonized" for her vote to oust McCarthy.
In short, Mace may need all the help she can get in the coming months, and her best hope may be Trump returning the favor and endorsing her.