Nancy Mace Finishes Fifth in South Carolina GOP Governor Primary
Cover image from cbsnews.com, which was analyzed for this article
Rep. Nancy Mace failed to advance in the GOP primary for South Carolina governor after a contentious campaign. The loss highlights challenges for some Trump-aligned candidates in state races.
PoliticalOS
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 — Politics
Mace’s fifth-place finish leaves Evette and Wilson to compete in a runoff for the Republican nomination in a state that strongly favors the party’s candidate in November. Her concession statement directly attributed part of the result to her support for releasing the Epstein files.
What outlets missed
Most coverage omitted the precise vote shares for the top two finishers and the statutory runoff threshold that forced the June 23 contest. Few noted that Mace lost her own county and district or that three additional candidates besides Mace were eliminated. The articles also left unexamined the absence of any high-profile Republican endorsement for Mace and the parallel support McMaster gave Evette alongside Trump.
South Carolina Republicans will choose their nominee for governor in a June 23 runoff between two candidates who placed first and second in Tuesday’s primary. No candidate reached the majority required to win outright in a six-person field. Pamela Evette, the lieutenant governor backed by President Trump and term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster, received 28.9 percent. Attorney General Alan Wilson received 26.2 percent.
Rep. Nancy Mace finished fifth with 12.1 percent and conceded. She lost even her home county and congressional district. In her concession post, Mace said she had voted to release the Jeffrey Epstein files and lost support for that decision. She endorsed Wilson for the runoff.
Trump endorsed Evette days before the primary. Mace had criticized Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and later sought his support for her gubernatorial bid. The other candidates eliminated were state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former business executive Rom Reddy.
South Carolina has not elected a Democratic governor since 2003. Trump carried the state by 58 percent in 2024, making the Republican nominee the strong favorite in November.
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