COLUMBIA, S.C. (CN) — State Representative Nancy Mace won the Republican primary in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District Tuesday, and will face off in November against an incumbent Democrat who flipped the district two years ago.
Republicans need to flip 17 seats nationwide in order to gain control of the House of Representatives, making South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District race one to watch.
As of 10:30 p.m. E.S.T. Tuesday, Mace appeared to triumph over three other Republicans who vied for the seat in the state’s coastal district with 57.7% of the vote with 282 out of 365 precincts reporting.
Mace garnered the support of dozens of her Republican colleagues in the South Carlina General Assembly and was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, one of the country's six senior military colleges.
Mount Pleasant Councilwoman Kathy Landing landed in second place in the Republican primary with about 26.1% of the vote, while Bluffton Housing Administrator Brad Mole and Chris Cox, a lobbyist and founder of Bikers for Trump, fell far behind with 10% and 6.2% respectively.
Mace will face off against incumbent Democrat Joe Cunningham in November. Cunningham the Democrat to hold the congressional seat since 1981.
Though President Donald Trump dominated Cunningham’s district in 2016, the race is considered a toss-up between the Democrat and his Republican opponent.
Since the beginning of his reelection campaign, Cunningham has far outpaced his Republican competitors in fundraising with $3.7 million in his campaign coffer.
The 1st District primary was not the only highly publicized contest in South Carolina Tuesday.
Early in the evening, Senator Lindsey Graham won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, with 67.8% of the vote.
Over the past four years, Graham’s stalwart support of Trump has gained fame as well as criticism.
Duke Buckner, Michael LaPierre and Joe Reynolds are the lesser-known Republican candidates who ran unsuccessfully against the outspoken incumbent.
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