Nancy Mace speaks with ABC News 4 ahead of the 2024 election

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — ABC News 4 goes beyond the podium and sits down with the candidates one more time before Election Day.

We spoke with Rep. Nancy Mace, the Republican incumbent for the First Congressional District.

She is being challenged by Democrat Michael B. Moore.

Each candidate was asked the same questions.

Below are the candidate's answers:

Why are you running for office?

“Well, I’m the incumbent. This is my third re-election, and I promised Lowcountry voters that we would work harder for them, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

Tell us something about yourself?

“Firstly, I come from here, I grew up here. In fact, I dropped out of Stratford High School in 1995 and had my first job on College Park Road in Ladson, and then I ended up being the first woman to graduate from the Citadel.” Military College of South Carolina, earlier this year 25 years.”

What are the key messages of your platform and what are voters in your district looking for?

“Well, voters really care about inflation and the cost of food and gasoline, and I'll be the first to tell you that both Republicans and Democrats caused the massive spending and massive inflation that we see today.” The second thing voters care about is immigration. We have issues with the Charleston County Sanctuary Sheriff allowing illegals onto the streets. The last one was a suspected pedophile who wanted to pay for sex with a child not just once, but so the Lowcountry and the entire state have faced illegal immigration issues twice, and I've been the leading voice for women's rights within the Republican Party for years Party.

What is your opinion on how our country should deal with the conflict in the Middle East?

“We need to make sure we call terrorism what it is. We must ensure that we give Israel all the aid, assets and resources it needs. This is just the tip of the spear in Israel. I mean, that's it.” Today it's about Israel, but tomorrow it could be the US or its allies. So it's about jihad and jihadism. We need to make sure we don't even label the Taliban as such. Because of the way our State Department and the Biden-Harris administration have classified them, we are not classifying the Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist organization and a top-level threat, either when they bomb military installations. They can and do bribe neighbors like Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia pays those bribes. We must ensure that we do not allow Hezbollah, Hamas or the Houthis to bomb military installations and ships abroad in the Red Sea or elsewhere in the Middle East, and we must support Israel 100%.”

How do you feel about immigration?

“Of course I think we should close the border. I want to deport those who are here illegally. In fact, my last bill, the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, was supported by over 50 Democrats and would immediately deport the illegals who are here, who have raped our women, who are pedophiles, and who are our women and girls murdered.”

What if something changed about abortion rights and access to abortion at the federal level?

“We must ensure we protect both women’s lives and rights. The reason our state was one of the first states to have exceptions for rape or incest is because I told my story about being raped as a teenager.” When I was a state legislator, I was the first legislator of both Parties who filed a bill to protect women's access to IVF following the anti-IVF ruling in Alabama. When the crazy abortion ruling came down in Arizona, I was the first and perhaps the only Republican to speak out against it. The same goes for the mifepristone and trisomy cases among teenagers in Texas. I've worked vigorously for years to protect women's access to contraceptives, Plan B, IVF, and others “I've led the country and the Republican Party, quite frankly, in a place where we're not really good at women's rights and I have worked very hard to change that.”

What sets you apart from your other candidates?

“My opponent is a liar. He has repeatedly lied to voters about his and my positions. I know that, unlike my opponent, I can always be trusted.

Will you accept the results of the 2024 election?

“I accepted the results of the 2020 election and voted to certify the Electoral College in every single state, and I would do so again in 2024.”

What is your message and what are your key insights for voters?

“No one will work harder for the Lowcountry, and my main message to voters today is that it has been a great honor and the honor of my life to serve the Lowcountry.”

To read Michael B. Moore's responses, click here.