GOP Congresswoman wears a scarlet letter “A” – as in adultery – because people were mean to her

Anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) wore a scarlet letter “A” on a t-shirt in protest of how other Republicans are attacking her for voting out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

“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,” she told a gaggle of reporters in the Capitol. “I’m here to let the rest of the world know, the country know, I’m on the side of the people, I’m not on the side of the establishment and I’m gonna do the right thing every single time no matter the consequences because I don’t answer to anybody in D.C.”

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The scarlet letter is a reference to the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, where Hester Prynne – a Puritan in 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony – gets pregnant even though her husband is presumed lost at sea. Her punishment for adultery and for refusing to reveal the identity of the father of her child was to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her chest for the rest of her life. The “A” refers to adultery.

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SC Rep. Nancy Mace is wearing a t-shirt with the letter “A” on it.

When asked what it stands for, she said it’s her “Scarlet letter.” pic.twitter.com/YQjieZ6w8O

— Gary Grumbach (@GaryGrumbach) October 10, 2023

Mace: I’m wearing the scarlet letter after the week I had being a woman and being demonized for my vote and voice. pic.twitter.com/guVpxGHUq7

— Acyn (@Acyn) October 10, 2023

Mace was one of eight far-right House Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy from the speakership. She was the only woman to do so. Since Republicans have a very narrow majority in the House – and Democrats vote against Republican speakers just as Republicans vote against Democratic speakers – eight Republican votes was all it took to remove him.

Most House Republicans – even extremists like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) – voted in favor of McCarthy because removing a speaker in the middle of a session and finding a new one uses an enormous amount of time and energy that could have been spent pushing the party’s agenda. Many Republicans have been outspoken in their criticism of the eight who voted with the Democrats to remove McCarthy, with some even calling for them to be kicked out of the caucus.

Over the weekend, Mace appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation, where host Margaret Brennan asked her about her support for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to be the next speaker. Jordan has been accused by several ex-Ohio State University wrestlers of doing nothing after they complained that a team doctor was sexually abusing them. Jordan has denied the accusations.

Brennan asked why Mace is supporting Jordan when she has been “outspoken about defending victims of sexual assault.” Mace said that she is “not familiar” with the accusations against Jordan.

“Yeah, I don’t, I don’t know anything and I don’t know anything about that,” Mace said.

It’s unclear what the connection between all of this and The Scarlet Letter is. Online, some suggested that since Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has been getting the most attention for removing McCarthy from the speakership since he led the charge, Mace wants more attention now. Others speculated on whether she had ever read the book at all. Some people compared her to Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Folks, this is why we shouldn’t ban books. https://t.co/Wnj32mPRCy

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) October 11, 2023

https://t.co/9WbRa2mEwC pic.twitter.com/bfBU6atKS4

— Acyn (@Acyn) October 10, 2023

Scarlet Letter means she’s an adulterer lol

— Ricky Chu (@RikDaddy) October 11, 2023

A for attention

— comedic canadian (@comedicanadian) October 11, 2023

So she’s….an adulterer?

I’m begging people to like…read the books they base their stunts on https://t.co/wOV00BeBF8

— celia (@_celia_bedelia_) October 10, 2023

Because she committed adultery in 1642? I don’t get it

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