south carolina primary

Filing is open for South Carolina's 2022 primary elections. Filing opened Wednesday for the contests, which include intraparty races featuring Republican incumbents fending off challengers backed by former President Donald Trump. All candidates for state, federal and local offices must register by March 30. Primary elections are June 14. The two most closely watched congressional seats are along South Carolina's coast, where U.S. Reps. Tom Rice and Nancy Mace are being targeted by Trump for behavior he has characterized as disloyal to him. Democrats Joe Cunningham and Mia McLeod are vying for the chance to face Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is seeking his second full term.

Two lifelong Republicans representing neighboring congressional districts in South Carolina are unlikely players in the fierce debate over the future of their party. Reps. Nancy Mace and Tom Rice are both facing spirited primary challenges from rivals backed by former President Donald Trump. For Rice, the sin was his support for Trump's second impeachment after the violent Jan. 6 insurrection ignited by the then-president. Mace drew the ire of Trump and his backers by voting to certify President Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election. Trump held a rally Saturday in Florence, South Carolina, with their primary challengers and laced into both as insufficiently loyal.

Note: This story has been amended to remove a reference to Michael Bloomberg setting up operations in South Carolina. Bloomberg is not on the South…