Nancy Mace falls hard in South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary

Columbia, South Carolina - Representative Nancy Mace fell hard on Tuesday in her Republican primary for governor of South Carolina.

Representative Nancy Mace came in fifth place in the Republican primary election for South Carolina governor on June 9, 2026.
Representative Nancy Mace came in fifth place in the Republican primary election for South Carolina governor on June 9, 2026.  © IMAGO / UPI Photo

According to the Associated Press, Mace came in fifth place with just 12.1% of the vote.

Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette, who was endorsed by Donald Trump in the race, is heading to a runoff against Attorney General Alan Wilson, the top two vote-getters in the Republican primary.

Mace attributed her loss, in part, to her support for releasing the files on notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

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"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. 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," the sitting congresswoman said in a statement on X.

"And apparently, I chose wrong if the goal was winning an election," she added.

Evette will face off against Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson in the general election on November 3. The state representative and former pro basketball player won his primary by a wide margin on Tuesday..

Also on Tuesday, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham won his Republican primary for reelection. He will go head to head with Democratic nominee and pediatrician Annie Andrews in November.

Correction: A previous version of this article said that Evette had won the Republican gubernatorial nomination outright.

Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo

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