By admin 
Before either U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace or South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson formally jumped into the race for the Republican nomination for governor, the relationship was tense.
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They would be two of the seven candidates to file to run for the GOP nomination, and may have seen each other as the favorites to make the runoff early in the race.
And in South Carolina, where politics is often referred to as a blood sport, the punches started with serious allegations.
But when the June 9 primary results came in, with Wilson advancing to a runoff, and Mace finishing in fifth place, the three-term congresswoman raised eyebrows when she immediately endorsed the four-term attorney general, a thought that seemed inconceivable in the previous year.
“Things didn’t start out too cool with Nancy and me,” Wilson said two weeks later on runoff night. “Once we got a chance to sit down, once we got a chance to talk, we were both able to rise above our differences, we were able to come together.”
Mace, in an interview at the annual Washington Night, said she and Wilson had been talking for about two months to repair their relationship.
“Alan’s been wonderful, and I can’t say enough nice things about him. And I’m thrilled he’s going to be the governor,” Mace said of the Republican nominee.
Mace a lot of times their talks happened “offline.”
The rough start
Before Mace and Wilson each officially jumped into the race for governor when both were in their “consideration” phase, Mace went after Wilson accusing him of not acting on a criminal case involving her ex-fiance. The case involved allegations of heinous crimes against women including rape and voyeurism.
That investigation is still active and ongoing by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and had not been sent to the attorney general’s office.
Mace accused Wilson of orchestrating a political hit job over her tirade at the Charleston Airport in October when a security detail did not meet her to escort her through the terminal. Wilson called Mace a “spoiled brat” in response.
Mace sat several rows behind Wilson during a legislative oversight hearing, which are typically dry and boring. She criticized the attorney general’s office for not prosecuting and for agreeing to plea deals for men accused of sexual abuse of children.
Mace took jabs at Wilson for having a security detail.
As the campaign moved closer to the June primary, running for governor involved participating in televised debates and candidate forums. It allows candidates to talk to one another backstage.
“I think as we started to see each other in person more, it’s easy to say things about people on social media, but when you start talking to them backstage, you know, at forums and debates and things like that, you have conversations, you start to see a human being, not an avatar on the social media app, and we started to talk,” Wilson said on runoff day after voting.
She revealed on primary night her and Wilson had buried the hatchet and reset their relationship. She said she shared her experience within South Carolina’s judicial system.
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“This is a fight between those who protect predators amongst us and those that will fight against them and put them in jail,” Mace said. “I want a law and order governor and that law and order governor is going to be Alan Wilson.”
Condolences after death of Mace’s father
During the primary campaign, Mace’s father died, which added more weight on the congresswoman’s shoulders.
“I felt a great deal of compassion for her, and I reached out to her, and she obviously was grieving, and she was very appreciative of me reaching out to her, and I think every couple of days I check in on her, because I know that was tough for her,” Wilson said.
Mace gave public appreciation to Wilson and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman for reaching out to offer their condolences to her after father died.
Signs of the thawing were evident during the televised GOP debates. Mace and Wilson stayed cordial to one another, and they were seen chatting with one another on stage during commercial breaks.
It was during one of those commercial breaks that Wilson helped craft a line for Mace. At the May 26 debate, Norman and businessman Rom Reddy spent much of the evening arguing with one another on stage. Wilson and Norman also got into their spats. Mace remained out of that fray.
During the commercial break before closing statements, Mace said to Wilson she needed a line to kick off her closing remarks.
“I’m sure you all thought I was going to be the crazy one tonight,” Mace said to laughs. “Turns out I’m not.”
The line was suggested by Wilson.
“She liked it. To her credit, she had a good sense of humor. She used it,” Wilson told reporters after that debate.
“I like to write my own jokes, but sometimes I like others to help me,” Mace said after confirming Wilson suggested the quip.
On primary night, Wilson described the interactions as a long conversation where they came to an understanding with each other, and they were able to bury their hatchets. He also called her a maverick “who shook things up.”
“He said what he needed to say, and I said what I needed to say. Like in any friendship or relationship or professional relationship, we had a lot of conversations, and that grew out from there,” Mace said in an interview.