Republican Nancy Mace To Challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham

The first female graduate of The Citadel told Patch Thursday she plans to run against Sen. Lindsey Graham in the 2014 Republican primary.

Nancy Mace will make her candidacy official at a Saturday morning breakfast in Goose Creek during a Berkeley County GOP Breakfast.

Mace holds a masters in mass communication from the University of Georgia. She is the author of In The Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel (Simon and Schuster, 2001).

Saturday's breakfast is at American Legion Post, 116 Howe Hall Road in Goose Creek.

Conservative groups within the Republican Party, including many of the Tea Party, have been seeking a strong challenger to Graham from within the ranks. They don't believe Graham is conservative enough. Dozens of them met in Columbia in mid-July to figure out just how to win the two-time senator's seat.

Meanwhile, Mace has been eyeing a potential bid for months. 

She wrote a scathing op-ed piece about Graham and the need for new blood on Patch back in May. And she has been traveling the state to discuss her platform, while not officially touting her run.

Currently, the only Republican candidate who has announced a plan to challenge Graham is Richard Cash, an Upstate businessman. Another likely candidate is state Sen. Lee Bright, who has been a critic of Graham.