Columbia, South Carolina — After a decade of turmoil in South Carolina and national politics, Rep. Nancy Mace finished a distant fifth in her state election. Republican primary for governorleaving an uncertain future for one of the country’s brave politicians.
Her campaign mirrored her checkered career. Mace gained the support of President Donald Trump after he harshly criticized him over the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. She emphasized her battles with other Republicans Release files Investigated by Jeffrey Epstein.
In the final days before Tuesday’s primary, she called for a law that would bar anyone not born in the United States from holding political office or serving as a judge. She noted that Rom Reddy, another gubernatorial candidate, was not eligible because he is a naturalized citizen whose mother is from India and father is from Italy.
“I never came out of a slum in India,” Mays said during an appearance in Greenville County this month. “I was born and raised here in America.”
By the end of her campaign, she was making only sporadic public appearances. She struggled to raise money and had no presence on television. Mace communicates mostly through social media, a venue she has used to her advantage since she was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2017.
In a lengthy statement released after her loss, Mace recounted her accomplishments in the US House of Representatives, saying she had “taken on the rich and powerful in both parties” and “voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for it.”
Four Republicans in Congress were part of the initial group that pushed for a petition to release the files to force their release. Mace and Rep. Thomas Massie lost their races, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned in January.
Mays gave no indication of her next plans in her concession speech Tuesday night. She is supporting Alan Wilson in his runoff for governor, although she last year accused Wilson of protecting accused child sex abusers.
“When kids needed him to act, Wilson looked the other way,” she said.
Wilson will face Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a runoff on June 23. Yvette received Trump’s endorsement, prompting Mace to attack on social media.
Mace incorrectly wrote: “Pamela Yvette does not have the endorsement of Donald Trump.” “Don’t believe her lies.” Mace posted an AI-generated photo with Trump herself.
Mays dropped out of high school and worked as a server at Waffle House before earning her degree. She later attended The Citadel and became the first woman to graduate from the state’s military academy. In recent years, she has spoken about the importance of advocating for victims of sexual assault and shared stories of being raped as a teenager.
After starting her political career in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Mace received widespread praise from Republicans in 2020 for her efforts Win again A seat in the U.S. House of Representatives around Charleston flipped to the Democrats for one term.
“For those people out there today who may not have been with us yesterday, I ask for an opportunity — a chance to prove to you that I will be an empathetic leader, a good listener, and an independent thinker,” Mayes said at the time.
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Kennard reported from Washington. Bill Barrow contributed from Atlanta.