Rep. Nancy Mace conceded her South Carolina gubernatorial bid Tuesday night after finishing a distant fifth in the Republican primary — a stunning collapse for the congresswoman who defied President Trump over the Epstein files.
Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a June 23 runoff. Mace, trailing far behind at the time of her concession, framed her loss as the cost of principle.
“I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that. As a survivor, I chose to stand on principle and stand against the Epstein cover-up.”
Mace told POLITICO the Epstein vote was “the sole reason” she didn’t receive Trump’s backing. She joined Reps. Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in pushing a discharge petition to force release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files. Trump privately pressured Mace and Boebert to withdraw their names. Neither complied.
“I’m at peace with that,” Mace said in her concession statement. “Because when a candidate is OK with corruption and cover-ups — something is broken. That’s not a political opinion. That’s a moral emergency.”
Serving South Carolina has been the greatest honor of my life. Every vote I cast, every hearing I called, every fight I picked — it was always for you.
I’ve seen what happens when good people stay quiet. And I’ve seen what happens when they don’t. I would choose the latter every… pic.twitter.com/Dwx7oCUT9q
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) June 10, 2026
Despite losing Trump’s endorsement, Mace repeatedly praised the president during the campaign. She called on supporters to “pray for President Trump” in multiple X posts and said her respect for him remained “genuine and unchanged” even after he backed Evette.
Mace led a House Oversight effort in March demanding then-Attorney General Pam Bondi testify about the Epstein files. She also accused Evette Tuesday of supporting “political violence” after a supporter was arrested on assault charges for allegedly attacking a Mace backer.
An Evette spokesperson denied the individual ever worked for the campaign and said the team was “deeply disappointed” by the incident.
Trump-backed candidates have dominated the 2026 primary cycle. His endorsement helped oust Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana and propelled Ken Paxton to a landslide win over Sen. John Cornyn in Texas. Trump also backed Ed Gallrein, who defeated Massie in Kentucky’s primary.
Greene resigned from Congress in November 2025 after Trump withdrew support and threatened to back a primary challenger — her break with the president also stemmed from the Epstein files push and criticism of his Iran strikes.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) June 9, 2026
Pray for President Trump.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) May 28, 2026
