MAGA congresswoman’s ex-chief of staff running against her after getting fired last month

Just a month after he left his position, Don Hanlon — who was once chief of staff to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) — has officially filed his paperwork to run against his former boss in the 2024 Republican primary.

The Hill campaign reporter Caroline Vakil quote-tweeted a post from an account that automatically alerts followers of new entrants into congressional races, noting that Hanlon's candidacy was now "official."

Hanlon was one of three former Mace staffers who all resigned or were fired in December in a sudden mass exodus from the congresswoman's DC office, citing a "toxic work environment." Hanlon even took the office popcorn machine with him when he left, according to the Washington Examiner. In addition to Hanlon, deputy chief of staff Richard Chalkey resigned. Randal Meyer, who was Mace's legislative director, resigned at the end of 2023.

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The staffers' accusations of a toxic work environment may stem from claims that she often discussed her sex life in the office, according to the New York Post. One ex-staffer told the outlet that his former boss "frequently made sexual references in the office and discussed things that were not appropriate in a work environment."

The Postreported last week that Hanlon was meeting with donors interested in potentially forcing Mace out of her seat. According to the Post's sources, there is still residual anger over her role in triggering a month-long paralysis of the House of Representatives as the Republican majority squabbled over who would become the next speaker.

Mace was one of the eight Republicans who co-signed Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Florida) motion to vacate former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) in early October, resulting in McCarthy becoming the first speaker in US history to be ousted by his own party. She ultimately joined all other Republicans in electing Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) as speaker after several other Republicans — including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) — each failed to win over their caucus.

Hanlon is a four-year veteran of the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget, and was reportedly a "day one" hire for Mace. While Mace has since strongly aligned herself with former President Donald Trump, she once attempted to get punched in the face by one of his supporters during the January 6, 2021 siege of the US Capitol in order to garner favorable media coverage.

READ MORE: Nancy Mace 'literally begged' to 'get punched in the face' for 'media attention' on Jan 6: ex-aide