Rep. Nancy Mace was invited to a town hall, but declined. Voters wonder: Is she listening to us?

"None of us are getting paid. We're all just concerned Americans, and we deserve the same respect you give your MAGA base."

, Allan Morris, Mount Pleasant resident, at the March 28 town hall

Caitlin Byrd reported for the Post and Courier on a March 28, 2025 town hall in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Mace's home district, where more than 200 constituents gathered while Mace's invited seat sat empty. Mace had declined the invitation and described the organizers as "paid agitators."

Byrd documented who was actually in the room. Mount Pleasant Town Councilwoman Guang Ming Whitley attended and told the reporter:

"Citizens are tired of calling her office and submitting questions and making requests and not receiving substantive responses."

Attendee Emily Collins pushed back on Mace's characterization:

"Our Congress people are adults. They should be able to take a little bit of negative criticism."

The story established a factual baseline: the town hall was organized by unpaid constituents, attended by local elected officials, and Mace's own office had not provided substantive responses to constituent inquiries. The "paid agitators" framing, offered without evidence, became a focal point of the follow-up coverage.

Ten days later, Mace posted a video calling constituents who had been contacting her office "ugly" and "hateful", prompting Jezebel and other outlets to cover her response as a second-cycle story.

Related coverage

• Jezebel: Nancy Mace Calls Her Constituents 'Ugly,' 'Nasty,' Doubles Down on Refusing Town Hall