Something's up in South Carolina. Native son and Senator Tim Scott endorsed former President Donald Trump, eschewing former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. This is the person who appointed him to his Senate seat, but apparently, loyalties only run so far.

Which brings us to South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace. The winds are bringing word that she could be facing a Republican primary challenge from her former chief of staff. 

Rep. Nancy Mace’s former chief of staff is being propped up by her own ex-staffers as he mulls a primary challenge against her, two sources told Fox News Digital.

Dan Hanlon joined Mace’s office in 2021 after serving in the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget. He departed last month under reportedly contentious circumstances.

Hanlon was unceremoniously dismissed, but not without taking the office popcorn machine with him. That could well be seen as a sign. 

Dan Hanlon to Nancy Mace: https://t.co/4pZxp1CBq8 pic.twitter.com/g8azX7kbLC

— Michael B. Moore (@michael_b_moore) January 17, 2024

Word around Capitol Hill is that Mace is difficult to work with. Some examples: Mace should only be served room temperature water; if a constituent meeting lasted longer than three minutes, a staffer should come in and pull her out; and there was a quota staff members had to meet in booking Mace for her cable news appearances.

Who does she think she is, Nancy Pelosi?

According to reports, Mace has been bleeding staffers, and those disaffected former personnel have decided to back Hanlon should he decide to run. 

"Dan is receiving great feedback because for years he did the actual job of serving the constituents of South Carolina in Congress while Nancy Mace was busy going on TV and getting her net worth up millions," the first source familiar with Hanlon’s plans said. "Both the donor class and grassroots voters are tired of Mace privately bashing Trump and publicly bashing real conservatives as a--holes."

There's a Southern term for that: Too big for your britches? 

So, who is this Dan Hanlon? The Democrats would say he's a MAGA Extremist! As noted above, he was part of the Trump administration in OMB, and is rumored to have remained loyal to the former president. Unlike Mace herself.

Shade is already being thrown between the Mace campaign and a potential Hanlon campaign.

Fox News Digital asked Mace about those reports on Capitol Hill Thursday. She said, "I believe we put a statement out. He’s going to have to move to the district if he has to run."

When reached for comment, Doug Stafford, a spokesman for Mace's re-election campaign, told Fox News Digital, "This can’t be true. Mace couldn’t get this lucky? Well, would he move there, cause he sure as s--- doesn’t live there now!"

The source familiar with Hanlon’s plans responded to her accusation about his living outside the district, "Dan owns a home in the district. Rep. Mace had her ex-fiancé buy her one."

Meeow!

Mace made headlines as part of the Gang of 8 that wrested the gavel from former House Speaker (and Congressman) Kevin McCarthy's hands. It is McCarthy who encouraged Hanlon to consider a run. Yeah, swiping that popcorn machine was definitely a sign.

And the drama abounds. The Democrat candidate running in SC-01 is having great fun with this potential splitting of the vote.

The people of #SC01 deserve a leader focused on delivering real results — not endless workplace drama.

If Nancy Mace can’t manage her own office, she shouldn’t be trusted to represent an entire congressional district.

It’s that simple. https://t.co/Ckv5ilU4j9

— Michael B. Moore (@michael_b_moore) January 20, 2024

Hanlon is getting his donors and his ducks in a row, and has until March 30 to officially file. Whatever's going on in low country, it is making for a more interesting election season. Bring on that popcorn!