Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) failed to advance in South Carolina’s gubernatorial primary, conceding Tuesday night as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson moved to a primary runoff backed by President Donald Trump.
Nancy Mace’s bid for South Carolina governor ended on a Tuesday night when the returns finally caught up with what voters had been signaling for months: she wasn’t gaining traction, not in the statewide vote and not even at home.
When the Associated Press called the race, Mace was in fifth place, and the outcome followed the shape of a campaign that had struggled to translate name recognition into momentum. She wasn’t winning a single county, and even Charleston—the place she ran from—wasn’t delivering a breakthrough.
Mace conceded Tuesday night. “This isn’t the end of the fight, but it is the end of a chapter,” she said.
The runoff now belongs to Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who had the backing of President Donald Trump, and Attorney General Alan Wilson. The pair advanced after Tuesday’s primary, pushing Mace out of the contest even as she had been a consistent magnet for attention during her time in Congress.
Mace first won office in 2020 and opened her tenure with a message that set her apart from some of her party’s most loyal Trump allies. She criticized Trump for his actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and took comparatively liberal positions on abortion and on gay and transgender rights.
Over time, though, her political identity shifted sharply to the right—particularly on transgender rights. She introduced a resolution aimed at barring transgender women from using the women’s restrooms in the capital after the election of Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.). She also used anti-trans slurs during hearings.
That turn was part of a broader pattern that fellow lawmakers and colleagues came to associate with her: a reputation for alienating her own staff and for gravitating toward national media attention. Her role in the dramatic ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy further deepened the sense that Mace was increasingly operating on a separate track from some colleagues.
Even the symbolism she chose during that House drama—wearing a scarlet “A” on her chest, referencing “The Scarlet Letter”—fit the perception that she was more focused on the spotlight than the grind of governance.
Yet the record also shows she was a steady advocate for victims of sexual assault. She was one of the handful of House Republicans who led the charge to release the Epstein files, a move that carried political risk—and, according to her, cost her support.
In a post on social media Tuesday night after the defeat was in place. Mace said. “I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that.” She added: “As a survivor. I chose to stand on principle and stand against the Epstein cover-up. I chose to expose the names hidden in the sexual harassment slush fund. I chose to expose DEI judges. I chose to expose the abusers of children. And apparently, I chose wrong if the goal was winning an election.”.
There is one more unresolved twist hanging over Mace’s political story as the concession ended her gubernatorial run—because the campaign has not only reflected her policy swings. but her personal political conflicts. Last year. on the House floor. she accused her ex-fiancé and other prominent men in South Carolina. including Alan Wilson. of being complicit in sex crimes against women.
She said at the time, “Women who come forward in your system are treated like criminals under your leadership, in your system and on your watch, Attorney General Alan Wilson.”
On Tuesday night, the tone of that earlier accusation collided with what came next: in her concession speech, Mace endorsed for the runoff—Alan Wilson.
For now, that is where the race sits. Evette and Wilson move on; Mace’s chapter closes with her insistence that the fight isn’t over—just the phase she hoped would deliver her to the governor’s office.
Nancy Mace South Carolina governor's race Pamela Evette Alan Wilson Republican primary runoff Donald Trump Charleston Epstein files transgender rights
So she lost… guess people got tired of her.
I don’t even know this race like that but isn’t it crazy Trump just backs someone and suddenly they win? Feels like rigged vibes tbh. Also “runoff” sounds like it’s just a redo for the same people.
Mace missing the runoff?? That wording makes it sound like she literally didn’t show up or something. Like she overslept or got caught in traffic. But then it says she conceded, so I’m confused, is the runoff like… her choice or mandated? Either way Charleston not even helping her is wild.
I mean she talked about Jan 6 and then somehow went full right after, so yeah voters prob noticed. The bathroom thing for trans people is gonna get people mad either way. But then they say she didn’t win a single county which is kinda hard to believe if she’s “popular” in Charleston. Media always hypes her up and then boom, fifth place. Sounds like name recognition is not the same as winning, shocker.