COLUMBIA, S.C. — Following ten years of creating waves in both South Carolina and national political circles, Representative Nancy Mace secured a distant fifth-place finish in her state’s Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, casting doubt on what lies ahead for one of the country’s most outspoken political figures.
Her gubernatorial bid reflected the unpredictable nature of her political journey. Mace sought President Donald Trump’s backing despite previously delivering sharp criticism of him regarding the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. She highlighted her battles with fellow Republicans over releasing documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
During the campaign’s closing stretch before Tuesday’s voting, she proposed legislation that would bar anyone not born in America from holding political positions or serving as judges. She questioned the eligibility of fellow gubernatorial candidate Rom Reddy, arguing his status as a naturalized citizen with an Indian mother and Italian father disqualified him.
“I didn’t come out of a slum in India,” Mace stated during a Greenville County event this month. “I am born and made here in America.”
As her campaign wound down, Mace made only occasional public appearances. She faced fundraising challenges and lacked any television advertising presence. Her primary communication method became social media platforms — a strategy that has served her well since winning her initial South Carolina House seat in 2017.
Following her defeat, Mace issued an extensive statement detailing her congressional accomplishments, claiming she had “taken on the rich and powerful in both parties” and “voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that.”
Among the four House Republicans who initially pushed for a discharge petition to force the files’ release, both Mace and Representative Thomas Massie lost their respective races, while Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped down in January.
During her Tuesday evening concession remarks, Mace offered no hints about her future plans. She announced her support for Alan Wilson in the gubernatorial runoff, despite accusing Wilson just last year of shielding defendants in child sex abuse cases.
“When children needed him to act, Wilson looked the other way,” she said.
The June 23 runoff will pit Wilson against Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette. Trump’s endorsement of Evette prompted an angry social media response from Mace.
“Pamela Evette is NOT ENDORSED by DONALD TRUMP,” Mace wrote, incorrectly. “Do not believe her LIES.” Mace shared an AI-created image showing herself alongside Trump.
Mace’s background includes leaving high school to work at Waffle House before earning her diploma. She subsequently attended The Citadel, becoming the first female graduate of the state’s military college. In recent years, she has advocated for sexual assault victims and spoken publicly about being raped as a teenager.
Her political journey started in the South Carolina House before earning widespread Republican acclaim in 2020 for reclaiming a Charleston-area U.S. House seat that had briefly turned Democratic.
“For those folks that are out there today that maybe weren’t with us yesterday, I’m asking for a chance — a chance to prove to you that I will be a compassionate leader, a good listener, an independent thinker,” Mace said then.
