South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace lost her bid in the GOP gubernatorial primary and will not be part of the June 23 runoff, while former Trump support consolidated behind Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson.
Nancy Mace’s political fortunes took a hard hit in Tuesday’s primary, and the result looks like the closing act of a rocky chapter in her public life. Once a member of Congress with national name recognition, she failed to clear the field and won’t be on the ballot for the upcoming runoff. Her last years in office were marked by high-profile fights and controversies that hurt her standing with conservative voters.
The linchpin in the closing weeks was President Donald Trump’s endorsement, which landed with Pamela Evette and reshaped the race. Mace had pushed for that nod, but her handling of several controversies made the endorsement unlikely. With Evette getting the Trump backing, the dynamics shifted and momentum moved toward the lieutenant governor and Attorney General Alan Wilson.
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South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who secured a late endorsement from President Donald Trump, and state Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a Republican primary runoff in the race to be the state’s next governor, NBC News projects.
The runoff will take place on June 23 after no candidate won more than 50% of vote in Tuesday’s contest. The eventual GOP nominee will be a heavy frontrunner to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster in the solidly red state this fall.
From the start, the crowded primary race centered on an all-out battle from the top candidates to land Trump’s endorsement. Evette emerged with the nod in the closing weeks of the campaign, and has since repeatedly promoted it.
On Monday, her campaign blasted out a news release headlined “President Trump Doubles Down on his ‘Complete and Total Endorsement” of Evette, pointing to another Truth Social post in which Trump touted his support for the lieutenant governor. Trump also held a tele-rally Monday evening for Evette and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is up for re-election.
The runoff on June 23 now matters more than ever because the GOP nominee will be heavily favored to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster in November. That frontline advantage in a red state makes the primary outcome effectively decisive for the governorship. Republican voters are watching which candidate can carry a unified party into the general election.
Mace conceded and endorsed Alan Wilson in the runoff.
For conservatives watching the scene, the episode underlines how endorsements and controversy management matter in modern GOP primaries. Mace’s bid to claim Trump’s blessing ran into headwinds after public disputes related to sensitive reporting and political battles that made a late embrace from the former president unlikely. Evette’s team capitalized on that opening, locking down a high-profile signal of support and turning up visibility with a tele-rally that included key allies.
Whatever the verdict on Mace the politician, this primary reshapes the immediate path forward for South Carolina Republicans. The runoff is now a clear choice between two candidates who benefited from national attention and party infrastructure, and it will test which lane—Evette’s outsider-business pitch or Wilson’s law-and-order record—resonates with the GOP base. Mace stepping aside and throwing support to Wilson tightens the intra-party contest and sets up a runoff that will matter across the state.
