u/Coy9ine

Nancy Mace lost the South Carolina governor’s race. But her legacy of failure runs much deeper.

Op-Ed by Anthony L. Fisher

Nancy Mace’s political career is likely over and will almost certainly be quickly forgotten. But the South Carolina Republican had the chance five years ago to create an enduring legacy by risking her office to steadfastly oppose Donald Trump’s “big lie” and self-coup attempt after he lost the 2020 election. Instead, she chose a squishy middle path between standing up for her country’s democratic legacy and pleasing the deranged boss of her party. And that path led her nowhere.

Mace chose not to run for a fifth term in the House so she could pursue the top job in the Palmetto State’s government, but after failing to qualify for the runoff in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday, the odds of her political ambitions reaching any higher have dimmed considerably. Though he didn’t attack her by name as he did with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Trump endorsed one of Mace’s primary challengers after she was one of four Republicans who signed a discharge petition forcing a vote to release the unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files in 2025.

This wasn’t the first time Mace stood up to Trump. On Jan. 6, 2021, she published an op-ed in The Post and Courier before Trump incited a MAGA mob, in which she wrote, “Today, I will solemnly cast my vote to certify the results of the Electoral College,” adding, “If Congress ever had the power to singularly throw out the Electoral College, we would set a dangerous precedent that the ruling class can disenfranchise millions of voters across the country. Does anyone really want to give Nancy Pelosi this kind of power? Certifying the results is the only way to preserve our republic and our Constitution. We must follow this course, even when we don’t like the outcome. Even when we hate the outcome.”

After Trump supporters’ violence on Jan. 6 was finally subdued, Mace went even further, telling CNN, “I hold him accountable for the events that transpired for the attack on our Capitol,” and that “everything that he’s worked for … his entire legacy, was wiped out yesterday.”

But when Mace had the chance to vote to impeach Trump a week after the riot, she demurred, questioning the “constitutionality” of the impeachment process for an outgoing president and lamenting “violence on both sides of the aisle.”

A closer glance at her Jan. 6 op-ed shows her spreading a whole lot of baseless “big lie” innuendo: “Is there evidence of voting irregularities and voter fraud in multiple states? Yes.”

Mace then spent the next several years as a MAGA-coded culture warrior, taking on Trump’s political targets — especially transgender people — as her own. But her Epstein files rebellion seems to have been the last straw for Trump.

It’s a shame, because what this country needs most in June 2026 — just as it did in January 2021 — is Republican lawmakers and conservative thought leaders plainly rejecting Trump’s thoroughly debunked stories about a massive conspiracy of election fraud across multiple states. Instead, the most powerful and influential voices are spreading democracy-eroding falsehoods — because they can’t believe that 2000s-era reality TV show villain Spencer Pratt didn’t finish higher than third as a Republican in the Los Angeles mayoral primary.

Trump crashed out in an interview last weekend with “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker as he ranted about fictitious voter fraud in California. Vice President JD Vance — infamous for knowingly spreading racist lies about immigrants for political purposes — said the situation in California “seems pretty shady to me.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said California’s vote-counting process “stinks to high heaven,” adding, “I think everybody knows instinctively something is wrong here.”

Elon Musk — MAGA campaign funder, propagator of racist conspiracy theories and beneficiary of untold billions in government subsidies — posted to X, “The real reason they don’t want voter ID is to commit voting fraud. That is the obvious truth.”

Glenn Beck posted about California election laws: “A lot of the fraud is LEGAL. It’s a rigged system.” Rod Dreher, columnist for Bari Weiss’ MAGA-adjacent Free Press (who reportedly until recently was a paid propagandist for former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s authoritarian government), posted that the “official story” of the LA mayoral primary results “is simply impossible to believe” and that “The problem is that many, many, MANY of us simply cannot believe it. It seems for all the world like fraud. This matters, & is going to matter more.”

To be sure, California’s vote-counting methods are, as The New York Times put it, “notoriously time-consuming, in part because of the state’s reliance on mail-in voting, and a requirement that officials do extensive work to check signatures, open envelopes and inspect ballots.”

But let’s be very clear about this. These Republican and conservative leaders are spreading baseless fictions meant to undermine any election that doesn’t go their way. And when it’s all said and done, for all the destruction Trump’s two administrations will have reaped upon the country and the world, the cynical deployment of voter fraud lies may end up yielding the most permanent damage.

What America really needs right now is a few honorable conservatives to stand against these despicable tactics with a clear voice. Mace had the chance to be one five years ago. Instead, she’ll leave the stage as just another Republican who briefly stood up to Trump, then vacillated, then rebelled again, but ultimately prioritized currying favor with the demagogic boss of her party over standing on principle.

For her efforts at placating Trump and MAGA, Mace is a replacement-level, power-hungry politician looking for a job.

Rep. Ilhan Omar Mocks Nancy Mace For Losing The GOP Primary For South Carolina Governor

By Terra Watts 6/10/26

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., took a swing at Rep. Nancy Mace Tuesday, after the South Carolina Republican announced that she will not run for re-election after her third term.

"One-way ticket to where you came from with your name on it, Nancy," Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted.

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The phrase Omar used is often repeated in rhetoric about immigration. By using it, she also put in a dig at the South Carolina Republican.

Mace, R-S.C., made her announcement in a Tweet, stating that she had pledged when she was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 to serve a maximum of three terms.

"Headed back to the private sector at the end of this term, as the Founders intended," Mace tweeted. "When I ran in 2020, I said I'd only serve 3 terms, and my time is up. It's truly been an immense honor, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else."

The tweet from Mace came on the same day she placed fifth in the Republican primary for South Carolina governor.

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Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) got the last laugh against Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), following the latter's relentless anti-LGBTQ bullying stunts.

Mace, who originally described herself as "pro-transgender rights" as recently as 2023, took a hard turn to campaign against any expression of transgender identity in public spaces. When McBride became the first transgender person elected to Congress, Mace introduced the proposal to bar her from the women's restrooms on Capitol Hill, proclaiming, "The sanctity of protecting women and standing up against the Left’s systematic erasure of biological women starts here in the nation’s Capitol."

Flash forward to tonight, where Mace ran an aggressive and vocal campaign for governor of South Carolina, only to lose out on President Donald Trump's endorsement and come in fifth place in a crowded primary.

McBride reacted to the news with a short quip, reported by Axios' Andrew Solender.

“Congress’ top bathroom sheriff, Nancy Mace, was on the ballot," said McBride. "And while all of the votes have not yet been counted, she’s in a respectful 5th place. I don’t like to punch down and I believe in the politics of grace, so I’ll just say, Happy Pride, Nancy.”

As of press time, Mace has conceded the election and endorsed Alan Wilson, who advanced to the runoff against Trump-backed candidate Pam Evette.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is raising eyebrows after President Donald Trump endorsed her GOP opponent in the South Carolina governor’s race.

Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the crowded primary contest on Friday, describing her as an “America First Patriot” who has stood by his side since the beginning.

“She never wavered, never let me down, and was the only South Carolina Gubernatorial Candidate to Endorse me as soon as I launched my 2024 Presidential Campaign,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “She crisscrossed South Carolina and other States for me, and I said, at the time, that this is truly something which I cannot forget!”

Mace, a staunch supporter of the president in the House, has unleashed a flurry of social media posts since the snub, with many users accusing the congresswoman of misleading voters over Trump’s support.

On Sunday, Mace shared an older quote from Trump on X, in which the president described Mace as “a fighter, I know about that.” It was quickly hit with a community note, which allows users to fact check or add context to posts on the platform.

“She having a legit mental breakdown,” former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger replied to the post.

Disgraced former GOP Rep. George Santos added: “Chaos Mace is misleading voters! President Trump has NOT endorsed her and she’s spiraling out of control! This is unhinged behavior unbecoming of a member of Congress seeking higher office.”

Another user accused Mace of deceiving her audience, and added: “You’re done, Nancy. Start packing.”

Mace also posted an image of her and Trump on Monday, writing that she is the only candidate running who “worked for President Trump and helped get him elected in South Carolina in 2016″ — amid his first run for the White House.

“Can we all appreciate how f---ing insane you have to be, to try this approach?” MAGA commentator Brenden Dilley asked.

The “Chicks on the Right” podcast account called the picture a “self-humiliation ritual.”

“HE DID NOT ENDORSE YOU,” it continued. “GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON OMG.”

Meanwhile, Mace has characterized herself as an “IRON LADY,” a nod to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and the bio of her personal X account mentions that she was endorsed by Trump in 2024 for her congressional seat.

Mace responded to Trump’s backing of her challenger in a post on Friday, suggesting that her advocacy for the release of the Department of Justice’s investigative files tied to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein played a major role in the announcement.

Mace was one of four Republicans who signed a bipartisan discharge petition last year to compel the DOJ to ultimately make the millions of documents public. The South Carolina lawmaker has continued to stand behind her decision, despite objections from Trump.

“I demanded it because you deserved the truth - ALL OF IT - and as a survivor of a corrupt and broken court system, I will always pursue justice for those who deserve it,” Mace wrote on X. “If sacrificing my values is the price of an endorsement, I will never pay it.”

The state’s primary election will be held on June 9.

A poll from the Trafalgar Group, released last week, found that Evette, who Trump endorsed, leads the GOP pool of likely GOP primary voters, with 19.9%. Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) came in second with 19.4%, followed by Rep. Ralph Norman with 15.9% and Mace with 14.6%.