Nancy Mace
Blames Epstein Files Backlash For Election Defeat
Published
Rep. Nancy Mace‘s bid to become South Carolina’s next governor is officially over after the outspoken Republican failed to land an endorsement from President Trump and survive a GOP primary … and she says the Epstein Files were a factor in her defeat.
Mace conceded the race Tuesday night less than 2 hours after polls closed. She ended up in 5th place with only 12% of the vote, while Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette advanced to a runoff against state Attorney General Alan Wilson.
Mace, the first Republican woman from South Carolina elected to Congress, was once a top contender in the race for governor … but a series of scandals and lack of support for Trump doomed her.
She also blamed backlash from her push to release the Epstein Files … but said she had no regrets about her work in Congress.
Mace added … “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 single time.”
It wasn’t just Epstein and the lack of a Trump endorsement that did her in.
In March, she was subject to an investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly attempting to profit from a congressional program meant to help lawmakers afford housing in Washington, DC. A report found she had asked for — and received — $9,500 more than she needed.
And last year, she was sued by her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant, for defamation after she called him a sexual predator during a House speech in February 2025 over allegations about a 2018 sexual assault he says were fabricated.