Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C) wore a red letter ‘A’ on her shirt Tuesday after voting to oust Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker which she said caused her to be “demonized” in Congress.
Mace donned a white T-shirt with a red letter “A” on it as she entered a closed door candidate forum where the two contenders for Speaker of the House made their pitches to the rest of the GOP conference.
“I’m wearing the scarlet letter after the week that I just had, last week, being a woman up here and being demonized for my vote and for my voice,” Mace told reporters. “I’m here to let the rest of the world know and the country know: I’m on the side of the people. I’m not on the side of the establishment. And I’m going to do the right thing every single time, no matter the consequences, because I don’t answer to anybody in D.C.; I don’t answer to anyone in Washington. I only answer to the people.”
The shirt is an apparent reference to the 19th century novel, The Scarlet Letter, where the protagonist was condemned for getting pregnant out of wedlock and forced to wear a scarlet A for the rest of her life.
Last week, eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) joined Democrats and voted to remove McCarthy as Speaker. It was the first time in the country’s history that a sitting Speaker was removed from the position. Mace was the only Republican woman to support McCarthy’s ouster.
