South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace discusses Harvard, antisemitism

DATAW ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Republican Rep. Nancy Mace faced criticism over the legal wrangling concerning universities and allegations of antisemitism during a town hall at a private, gated island community in her coastal South Carolina district.

The crowd of several hundred, mostly gray-haired attendees on Dataw Island was primarily friendly, with a moderator asking pre-screened questions of Mace on stage. A small group of attendees did walk out after Mace talked about Jewish college students being mistreated by campus protesters, an issue that has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s feud with institutions of higher learning.

That includes Harvard Universitywhich this week filed suit to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands, which include limiting activism on campus. The administration has argued universities allowed antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza

“I support all Jews in Israel, thank you very much,” Mace said. “They are our best friend, and Christians are in their fight with them. I support them 100%, and it says a lot about the folks walking out of here, when I’m talking about protesting Jews and religion.”

The conversation later turned back to federal funding for colleges, including Harvard, with Mace saying she supported efforts to rein in schools that are “raising lunatics.”

“We don’t like the antisemitism on their campus,” Mace said. “They shouldn’t get any federal funding.”

Mace has often invited confrontation, posting to her social media videos of conflicts with protesters and people who come to her events. As she drove to the Dataw Island event, she posted a video of herself on social media, waving at people gathered to protest her appearance.

Wednesday’s RSVP-only event was hosted by the Dataw Island Owners Association, and questions were submitted to a moderator in advance. According to Dataw Island’s website, the 870-acre property, about 6 miles (9.66 kilometers) east of Beaufort, boasts 36 holes of golf, a private marina, a 25,000 square-foot clubhouse and about 1,100 homesites, with completed homes ranging above $2 million.

Even small confrontations over President Donald Trump’s priorities may serve to help boost Mace’s conservative bona fides as she looks to broaden her electoral portfolio. Elected in November to her third term representing the state’s only swing district, which includes the Charleston area, Mace told The Associated Press in January that she is “seriously considering” a run for governor in 2026.

Since first winning the South Carolina GOP presidential primary in 2016, Trump has remained popular in the state, although Mace’s district is the only one he didn’t win as he sought the 2024 Republican nomination. In that contest, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — who also served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador — bested her former boss in the 1st District but lost the state as a whole.

Going on to win the nomination and the general election, Trump also backed Mace in her own campaign last year, and she has said she plans to seek his support in future campaigns.

Mace’s district is the only one in South Carolina to have switched party control in recent decades. The 1st District, which spans South Carolina’s southeastern coast in what’s known as the Lowcountry, was held by a Democrat for a single term until Mace won it back for Republicans in 2020.

Mace introduced a resolution banning transgender women from using women’s bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings, targeting a key issue among social conservatives that could also boost her profile statewide. In her interview with The AP, Mace acknowledged she needs to spend more time with South Carolina voters in more conservative areas like the Upstate region.

The tenor of Mace’s event differed dramatically from a forum hosted earlier Wednesday by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassleywho faced heated questions about Trump’s first few months in office. The room of about 100 people in north-central Worth County, near the Minnesota border, peppered Grassley with questions about mass deportationsincluding Kilmar Abrego Garcia’sbillionaire Elon Musk and cuts to the federal workforce and tariffs.

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Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP