It looks like there a few brave South Carolinians stepping up to unseat John McCain’s lapdog, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham in 2014. Last week, Nancy Mace, a business owner, was the first viable candidate to announce her campaign against one of the slimiest members of the Senate Gang of 8.

Mace is a resident of Charleston and attended The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, where she was the school’s first female graduate from its Corps of Cadets in 1999. Mace earned a masters degree in mass communication from The University of Georgia. She currently owns and operates a public relations firm.  [Nancy Mace will seek nomination for US Senate, August 3, 2013]

Mace also recently authored an article for the Daily Caller, calling the Schumer-Rubio amnesty a “boondoggle”:

South Carolina needs a senator who will put border security first, not just pay lip service to it. South Carolina needs a senator who will work for the people he represents and not for the leftists who crafted this bill. South Carolina needs a senator who will not subsidize or incentivize more illegal immigration, who will not support legislation that will increase unemployment, and who will not support pork-laden legislation drafted behind closed doors. (Senate immigration bill is a boondoggle, June 29, 2013]

Mace joins Richard Cash, another SC businessman, homeschooler, and social conservative activist, who announced in April. His position on immigration reform can be found on his website, where he states that illegal immigrants “should go home and apply legally to enter the United States just like anyone else.”

In the final analysis, immigration policy should serve the national interests. There is nothing wrong with immigration reform per se. How many immigrants we admit and for what reasons are legitimate questions for thoughtful debate, along with questions regarding birthright citizenship and chain migration. In such a debate, I would argue that if we are to retain a uniquely American identity and culture, immigration numbers and policy should follow the historical emphasis on assimilation and the melting-pot ideal. However, such a debate should not be based upon any perceived necessity to grant a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. That in itself is destructive to the rule of law and a never-ending proposition.

But VDare.com  readers might also be interested in a man who has yet to announce, State Senator Lee Bright. Bright, also a businessman, has been elected twice to the state senate, and has been fairly reliable on issues relating to immigration. His voting record only shows one vote on the issue, but that was a vote cast in favor of SB 20, the Immigration Enforcement Bill of 2011,which drew fire from the $PLC and Eric Holder’s Justice Department. The bill passed the house and senate, and was signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley. Bright was a sponsor of the bill. He also voted Yea on South Carolina’s Voter ID law.

In short, Bright has been fairly outspoken in favor of law enforcement, and against the Schumer-Rubio amnesty. He has launched a campaign website, where you can sign up to receive the official announcement of his candidacy.

There are sure to be other candidates who will emerge in the course of this primary season, but at this very early point in the game, all three of these challengers are positioning themselves as immigration patriots, to various degrees. Graham, of course, has overwhelming support from the good-old-boy SC network, but is very unpopular with the state’s grassroots network, and with immigration patriots across the country.