With roots in Hilton Head, Mac Deford announces run for Mace’s seat in U.S. House
The race is on to replace Nancy Mace in the U.S. House of Representatives as she formally announced her candidacy for Governor of South Carolina Monday morning.
Democrat Mac Deford announced his interest Tuesday morning in flipping a traditionally Republican district to the blue side when the general election comes up on Nov. 3, 2026. Only one Democrat has been elected to the House from the district that includes Beaufort, Berkeley, parts of Charleston and Jasper since the late 1970’s.
A background of military service and legal counsel
Deford served in the U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston from 2007 to 2012. Locally, he was the in-house attorney for the town of Hilton Head, spanning 2022 and 2023, and he was associate general counsel for the Charleston suburb of Mt. Pleasent, where he resides now.
During his time in Hilton Head he was part of the workforce housing project, North Point and helped the town secure promised $6 million FEMA funds following Hurricane Matthew, which the federal government “said they weren’t going to honor.”
He has been in the Lowcountry for all of this adult life, he said. He graduated from Chapel Hill and moved to the Charleston area at 21 and has been here ever since.
He has a bachelor’s degree from the Citadel and his law degree from Charleston School of Law and an MBA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“It’s obviously where I’ve decided to put roots down,” he said. “I got married here. I have started a family here. And I mean it just has so much to offer. There’s a reason everyone wants to move here.”
As for the timing of his entry into the 2026 race, Deford said this is “the perfect opportunity to turn the page.” after Nancy Mace annouced running for governor Monday morning.
“From a local perspective, I see where a lot more effort can be done from our congressional representative, and then just nationally,” Deford said. “I think that the moment demands individuals who want to serve for the right reasons.”
In November of 2024, Nancy Mace (R) defeated Michael B. Moore by 17 percentage points to hold the seat that she has occupied since 2021.
According to candidate filings for the SC’s 1st house district in 2026 the following, in addition to Deford that have declared interest are:
- Mayra Rivera-Vazquez (D) of Bluffton
- Robert Beers (D) of Bonneau
- Jack Ellison (R) of Charleston
South Carolina’s first congressional district encompasses the Lowcountry, including Beaufort, Berkeley and parts of Charleston.
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 11:27 AM.