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CHARLESTON, S.C. At a campaign event the weekend before South Carolinas primary election, Tom Rice, a conservative congressman now on the wrong side of former President Donald J. Trump, offered a confession.

I made my next election a little bit harder than the ones in the past, he said on Friday, imploring his supporters a group he called reasonable, rational folks and good, solid mainstream Republicans to support him at the polls on Tuesday.

Two days before and some 100 miles south, Representative Nancy Mace, another Palmetto State Republican who drew the former presidents ire, recognized her position while knocking doors on a sweltering morning.

I accept everything. I take responsibility. I dont back down, she said, confident that voters in her Lowcountry district would be sympathetic. They know that hey, even if I disagree with her, at least shes going to tell me where she is, she added.

Ms. Mace and Mr. Rice are the former presidents two targets for revenge on Tuesday. After a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, they were among those who blamed the president for the attack. Ms. Mace, just days into her first term, said that Mr. Trumps false rhetoric about the presidential election being stolen had stoked the riot and threatened her life. Mr. Rice, whose district borders Ms. Maces to the north, immediately condemned Mr. Trump and joined nine other Republicans (but not Ms. Mace) in later voting for his impeachment.

Now, in the face of primary challenges backed by the former president, the two have taken starkly different approaches to political survival. Ms. Mace has taken the teeth out of her criticisms of Mr. Trump, seeking instead to discuss her conservative voting record and libertarian streak in policy discussions. Mr. Rice, instead, has dug in, defending his impeachment vote and further excoriating Mr. Trump in the process.

Should they fend off their primary challengers on Tuesday, Ms. Mace and Mr. Rice will join a growing list of incumbents who have endured the wrath of the G.O.P.s Trump wing without ending their political careers. Yet their conflicting strategies a reflection of both their political instincts and the differing politics of their districts will offer a look at just how far a candidate can go in their defiance of Mr. Trump.

In the eyes of her supporters, Ms. Maces past comments are less concrete than a vote to impeach. She has aimed to improve her relationship with pro-Trump portions of the G.O.P., spending nearly every day of the past several weeks on the campaign trail to remind voters of her Republican bona fides, not her unfiltered criticism of Mr. Trump.

Everyone knows I was unhappy that day, she said of Jan. 6. The entire world knows. All my constituents know.

Her district, which stretches from the left-leaning corners of Charleston to Hilton Heads conservative country clubs, has an electorate that includes far-right Republicans and liberal Democrats. Ms. Mace has marketed herself not only as a conservative candidate but also one who can defend the politically diverse district against a Democratic rival in November.

It is and always will be a swing district, she said. Im a conservative, but I also understand I dont represent only conservatives.

That is not a positive message for all in the Lowcountry, however.

Ted Huffman, owner of Bluffton BBQ, a restaurant nestled in the heart of Blufftons touristy town center, said he was supporting Katie Arrington, the Trump-backed former state representative taking on Ms. Mace. What counted against Ms. Mace was not her feud with Mr. Trump but her relative absence in the restaurants part of the district, Mr. Huffman said.

Katie Arrington, shes been here, Mr. Huffman said, recalling the few times Ms. Arrington visited Bluffton BBQ. Ive never seen Nancy Mace.

During a Summerville event with Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, Ms. Mace gave a stump speech that ran down a list of right-wing talking points: high inflation driven by President Bidens economic agenda, an influx of immigrants at the Southern border, support for military veterans. She did not mention Mr. Trump.

Ms. Mace predicts a decisive primary win against Ms. Arrington, who has placed her Trump endorsement at the center of her campaign message. A victory in the face of that, Ms. Mace said, would prove the weakness of any endorsement.

Typically I dont put too much weight into endorsements because they dont matter, she said. Its really the candidate. Its the person people are voting for thats what matters.

Speaking from her front porch in Moncks Corner, S.C., Deidre Stechmeyer, a 42-year-old stay-at-home mother, said she was not closely following Ms. Maces race. But when asked about the congresswomans comments condemning the Jan. 6 riot, she shifted.

Thats something that I agree with her on, she said, adding that she supported Ms. Maces decision to certify the Electoral College vote a move that some in the G.O.P. have pointed to as a definitive betrayal of Mr. Trump. There was just so much conflict and uncertainty. I feel like it shouldve been certified.

Mr. Rices impeachment vote, on the other hand, presents a more identifiable turnabout.

Its part of the reason Ms. Mace has a comfortable lead in her race, according to recent polls, while Mr. Rice faces far more primary challengers and is most likely headed to a runoff with a Trump-endorsed state representative, Russell Fry, after Tuesday.

Mr. Frys campaign has centered Mr. Rices impeachment vote in its message, turning the vote into a referendum on Mr. Rices five terms in Congress.

Its about more than Donald Trump. Its about an incumbent congressman losing the trust of a very conservative district, said Matt Moore, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party and an adviser to Mr. Frys campaign.

Still, Mr. Rice is betting on his hyper-conservative economic record and once-unapologetic support of the former president to win him a sixth term in one of South Carolinas most pro-Trump congressional districts.

In an interview, Mr. Rice noted the Republican Partys shift toward pushing social issues over policy something he said had been driven in part by the former presidents wing of the party, which helped redefine it.

Why are these midterms so important? This years races could tip the balance of power in Congress to Republicans, hobbling President Bidens agenda for the second half of his term. They will also test former President Donald J. Trumps role as a G.O.P. kingmaker. Heres what to know:

What are the midterm elections? Midterms take place two years after a presidential election, at the midpoint of a presidential term hence the name. This year, a lot of seats are up for grabs, including all 435 House seats, 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 of 50 governorships.

What do the midterms mean for Biden? With slim majorities in Congress, Democrats have struggled to pass Mr. Bidens agenda. Republican control of the House or Senate would make the presidents legislative goals a near-impossibility.

What are the races to watch? Only a handful of seats will determine if Democrats maintain control of the House over Republicans, and a single state could shift power in the 50-50 Senate. Here are 10 races to watch in the Houseand Senate, as well as several key governors contests.

When are the key races taking place? The primary gauntletis already underway. Closely watched racesin Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia wereheld in May, with more taking place through the summer. Primaries run until September before the general election on Nov. 8.

Go deeper. What is redistrictingand how does it affect the midterm elections? How does polling work? How do you register to vote? Weve got more answers to your pressing midterm questions here.

He also laid out what the Republican Party should stand for: less taxes, less government, more freedom, individual responsibility, the American Dream, he said. If were not for that, then, gosh, I dont know what the Republican Partys about.

The impeachment vote has also won him favor with some voters. Rick Giles, a Rice supporter in Conway, S.C., said he admired Mr. Rice for his vote.

He stood up to Trump when a lot of people didnt, Mr. Giles said. He stood on his values. He didnt go with the party line. I like that.

Mr. Rices district, in South Carolinas northeast corner along the North Carolina border, is one of the states most conservative, favoring Republicans by nearly 30 points. And before the impeachment vote, Mr. Rice was one of Mr. Trumps most staunch supporters, with a voting record that matched Mr. Trumps stance more than 90 percent of the time.

Its not about my voting record. Its not about my support of Trump. Its not about my ideology. Its not because this other guys any good, Mr. Rice said. Theres only one reason why hes doing this. And its just for revenge.

Mr. Trump has had less success in the states at the root of his primary challenger push. In Georgia, two of his most prominent perceived enemies, Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, handily won their primaries against challengers backed by the former president. The two House races where he did not endorse incumbents have gone to a runoff.

Mark Sanford, a former congressman who was bested by Ms. Arrington in 2018 after Mr. Trump backed her primary challenge, predicted that Ms. Mace would prevail.

I think shell be fine, he said, pointing to the states increasing number of transplants from northern states who tend to favor establishment candidates. That bodes well for Nancy, it doesnt bode well for Katie.

Still, he said, Tuesdays outcome is unlikely to change the former presidents approach to politics.

Its binary with Trump, Mr. Sanford said. Youre not halfway in, halfway out youre either in or out.

Read more:
Two Targets of Trumps Ire Take Different Paths in South Carolina - The New York Times