Nancy Mace To Run For Senate, Challenging Lindsey Graham In South Carolina GOP Primary: Report

Republican Nancy Mace will run for Senate in South Carolina next year, Goose Creek Patch reports.

Mace, the first female graduate of The Citadel and a tea party favorite, told Patch that she plans to challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in the 2014 Republican primary. She is set to announce her candidacy at a Saturday breakfast hosted by the Berkeley County Republican Party.

Graham, who will seek a third term in the Senate, has been targeted by tea party activists who have taken issue with his willingness to compromise with Democratic colleagues on issues like immigration reform. Conservatives also lashed out at Graham for his opposition to Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) March filibuster on the Obama administration's use of drones.

"Lindsey Graham could be replaced with someone worthy of that seat," FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe said in May. "The way he lashed out against Rand Paul, he's begging for a primary."

Another Republican, South Carolina attorney Richard Cash, announced earlier this year that he will also run against Graham in 2014.

"I am running to replace Senator Lindsey Graham because I believe that after 20 years in Washington he is out of touch with South Carolina values and voters," Cash said. "Although Senator Graham might be hard-working and sincere, I cannot distinguish his core principles and can no longer trust his judgment."

Republicans in the state have also eyed libertarian state Sen. Lee Bright (R-Roebuck) as another potential challenger to Graham. According to The State, Bright intends to enter the race within the next several weeks.