Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace has long been a source of drama and controversy in Congress, and now that she has set her sights on the governor’s mansion in the Palmetto State, a well-known GOP operative allied with the lawmaker until very recently has made a dramatic U-turn.

As the Washington Examiner reports, Austin McCubbin, who has been serving as a consultant to Mace’s gubernatorial campaign, announced his departure from her team on Monday, because, he explained, the candidate has “decided to turn her back on MAGA.”

McCubbin lets loose

Taking to X to explain his decision, McCubbin began by declaring that “Nancy Mace has yet again decided to turn her back on MAGA to hug the political cactus that is the Rand Paul + Thomas Massie wing of the Party.”

McCubbin’s complaints about Mace did not stop there, with the noted political insider stating, “My name has been used publicly, while going back on her word to pay me, to trade on my Team Trump status and to work on her behalf with the White House….”

He continued his post by revealing, “I am 100% breaking with her campaign out of loyalty to the President.”

Citing what he feels are problematic ties with critics of the president, McCubbin added, “Last month the Rand Paul-affiliated Protect Freedom PAC began spending money on Nancy’s behalf…I chalked it up to nothing but independent activity.”

McCubbin then wrote, “When I talked to Nancy last Wednesday, it became clear that she has fully embraced the Rand Paul PAC,” asserting that “now she’s fully embracing the Rand Paul + Thomas Massie wing for money.”

"Dog don't hunt"

Offering further insight into his decision, McCubbin explained, “Nancy Mace is wittingly or unwittingly a proxy for Rand Paul’s 2028 presidential campaign. That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

He continued, “She wouldn’t hear it when I warned her about the political risks and offered alternative solutions,” then flatly declared, “That dog don’t hunt.”

McCubbin went on, “My loyalty lies with President Trump, my colleagues I worked with in the campaign trenches and the MAGA base that I had the privilege to work with as the Team Trump SC State Director.”

In a final swipe at Mace’s gubernatorial bid, McCubbin said, “My advice to the President, my friends in the White House, and South Carolina Trump voters: scratch her name from the list.”

“As we say in South Carolina,” he concluded, “there’s no lesson in the second kick of a mule.”

Mace's camp responds

As Politico noted, Mace’s camp did not stay silent about its now-former consultant’s very public exit, with a spokesperson for the lawmaker declaring, “Mr. McCubbin didn’t raise a dime for the campaign or better yet, never even bothered showing up. When he demanded $10,000 a month for ‘services’ and was told no, he ran straight to X. Good luck with that.”

Donald Trump’s endorsement is a highly coveted prize that is likely to have tremendous influence on South Carolina’s gubernatorial race, but whether McCubbin’s bold attack on Mace will ultimately sink her chances of securing the president’s vote of confidence, only time will tell.