Nancy Mace's political career is up in the air after finishing last in South Carolina primary

By — Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press By — Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nancy-maces-political-career-is-up-in-the-air-after-finishing-last-in-south-carolina-primary Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Nancy Mace's political career is up in the air after finishing last in South Carolina primary Politics Jun 10, 2026 1:34 PM EDT COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After a decade of roiling South Carolina and national politics, Rep. Nancy Mace finished a distant fifth in her state's Republican primary for governor, leaving an uncertain future for one of the nation's unabashed politicians. Her campaign mirrored her whipsaw career. Mace courted the support of President Donald Trump after harshly criticizing him over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. She emphasized her fights with other Republicans to release files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. LIVE RESULTS: South Carolina midterm primaries In the final days before Tuesday's primary, she called for a law to prevent anyone not born in the U.S. from holding political office or serving as a judge. She suggested that Rom Reddy, another candidate for governor, wasn't qualified because he was a naturalized citizen whose mother was from India and father from Italy. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. "I didn't come out of a slum in India," Mace said during an appearance in Greenville County this month. "I am born and made here in America." By the end of her campaign she was only making sporadic public appearances. She struggled to raise money and had no presence on television. Mace mostly communicated through social media — a place she has used to her advantage since first being elected to the South Carolina House in 2017. READ MORE: Republicans try to extend winning streak in South Carolina as Graham seeks fifth term In a lengthy statement posted after her loss, Mace recounted her achievements in the U.S. House, saying she had "taken on the rich and powerful in both parties" and "voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that." Four congressional Republicans were part of the initial group pushing for a discharge petition forcing the files' release. Mace and Rep. Thomas Massie lost their races, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned in January. Mace didn't give an indication of her next plans in her concession speech Tuesday night. She is backing Alan Wilson in the runoff for governor, even though just last year she accused Wilson of protecting child sex abuse defendants. WATCH: South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidates meet for debate "When children needed him to act, Wilson looked the other way," she said. Wilson will face Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the runoff on June 23. Evette received Trump's endorsement,