Nancy Mace Finishes Fifth in South Carolina GOP Governor Primary

South Carolina voters delivered a clear verdict in Tuesday's Republican primary for governor, sending Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson into a June 23 runoff while leaving Representative Nancy Mace in fifth place with roughly 12 percent of the vote. Evette captured 28.9 percent and Wilson 26.2 percent, neither reaching the majority needed to avoid a second round. The outcome followed President Trump's endorsement of Evette and underscored the limits of Mace's efforts to reconcile her record with the state's dominant political currents.

Mace conceded the race on social media and pointed to her vote to release Jeffrey Epstein files as a factor that cost her support. She described the decision as a stand against a cover-up and noted her background as a survivor of abuse. The statement also referenced other actions such as exposing spending on diversity initiatives and addressing cases involving child abuse. Yet the primary results showed that these positions did not translate into broad backing once Trump backed another candidate.

Mace entered Congress in 2020 after winning a competitive district centered on Charleston. Early in her term she positioned herself as open to bipartisan measures on issues ranging from marriage to abortion policy. Over time her public statements shifted toward sharper criticism of federal agencies and cultural policies promoted by Democrats. Former colleagues and aides described repeated changes in emphasis that left some supporters uncertain about her core priorities. Those shifts coincided with periods of national media attention that did not always align with the preferences of South Carolina Republican primary voters.

Trump's endorsement of Evette came after earlier friction between the president and Mace, including her comments following the January 6 Capitol events and her subsequent push on the Epstein matter. Trump had previously supported a challenger to Mace in her 2022 House race. Despite later warmer exchanges, the governor's race exposed the practical weight of his backing in a state where his influence remains strong among primary voters.

Other candidates in the field included state Senator Josh Kimbrell, Representative Ralph Norman, and businessman Rom Reddy. None mounted a sustained challenge that altered the top two finishers. Mace endorsed Wilson after her concession, but that move came too late to change the primary tally.

The results reflect a pattern seen in other Republican contests where voters have favored candidates with consistent alignment to the president's priorities over those whose records include periods of distance. Mace's performance in her home county and district further indicated that local familiarity did not overcome the broader dynamics of the race. The runoff between Evette and Wilson will now test which of the two can consolidate support ahead of the November general election.