Nancy Mace Finishes Fifth in South Carolina GOP Governor Primary

South Carolina voters delivered a clear verdict Tuesday in the Republican primary for governor, sending Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson into a runoff while leaving Representative Nancy Mace in a distant fifth place with just 12 percent of the vote. Evette captured nearly 29 percent and Wilson just over 26 percent, neither reaching the majority needed to avoid the June 23 showdown.

Mace, who had positioned her campaign around confrontations with powerful figures, conceded quickly and pointed directly to one vote as a turning point. In a post on X, she said her decision to push for the release of Jeffrey Epstein files cost her support among MAGA voters. As a survivor of sexual abuse, she framed the move as standing on principle against what she called an elite cover-up, also citing efforts to expose names tied to congressional harassment settlements and certain judges. She added that she would make the same choice again despite the outcome.

The results came after President Trump endorsed Evette in the final stretch, calling her a fighter and winner. That backing aligned with term-limited Governor Henry McMaster and left Mace without the kind of top-level support that might have altered the race. Mace had a complicated history with Trump, criticizing him after the January 6 Capitol riot and surviving a Trump-backed primary challenge in her House race two years later. Relations warmed at times afterward, yet she still moved forward on the Epstein matter even as Trump stayed clear.

Mace built an early reputation as someone willing to reach across lines, supporting same-sex marriage codification and describing herself as pro-transgender rights early in her congressional term. Those positions shifted noticeably in recent years as she adopted sharper language on cultural issues. Former aides and colleagues described a pattern of chasing media attention and reversing course on key alliances, which left her isolated by the time the governor race began. She even lost her home county and district on primary day.

The Epstein files angle stood out in her concession. Voters in a state that backed Trump strongly appeared unmoved by the argument that releasing those documents represented a decisive break with entrenched interests. Instead, they rewarded candidates tied more directly to the president’s endorsement. Wilson, who advanced alongside Evette, received Mace’s own post-election backing.

The primary exposed how past breaks with Trump and inconsistent positioning can limit a candidate even when they try to claim outsider status on high-profile matters like Epstein. South Carolina Republicans chose continuity with Trump-aligned figures over Mace’s version of confrontation.