'If you were not born in America'
Rep. Nancy Mace posted that people who were not born in the United States should not 'hold power in our government,' paired with legislation to bar naturalized citizens from elected office. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) called her 'a racist, unstable individual' and pointed out the bill would also disqualify Republican Rep. Carlos Giménez, who was born in Cuba.
In May 2026, as she campaigned for the South Carolina governor's race, Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X that "If you were not born in America, you should not hold power in our government. End of story," tied to legislation she had introduced to bar naturalized citizens from holding elected office below the presidency. Per Raw Story reporting, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) called her "a racist, unstable individual who should not be taken seriously", that characterization is attributed to Ramirez, and noted the rule would disqualify Republican colleagues including Rep. Carlos Giménez of Florida, who was born in Cuba. Ramirez was asked about the bill by Meidas Touch's Pablo Manriquez.
Mace's post:
If you were not born in America, you should not hold power in our government. End of story.
Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) May 20, 2026
Mace's post introducing the legislation, as posted to her official X account.
Rep. Ramirez's response:
"Nancy Mace is a racist, unstable individual who should not be taken seriously. I find it fascinating that she is coming after members on the Democratic side, and I think she forgot that she has a number of Republicans who were also not born here. I would be interested to know what Carlos Giménez and others think about it."
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL), as quoted by Raw Story (cited by reporting)
Per Raw Story, naturalized citizens are constitutionally eligible to run for any federal office below the presidency once citizenship requirements are met; Mace's legislation would impose a broader restriction. Mace did not publicly respond to Ramirez's comments at time of publication.