Part of: 2026 Governor Campaign
Campaign-trail activity picks up in early spring
Campaign activity for the 2026 governor's race increased as spring began, with Mace leading early internal polling at roughly 24 percent.
As the 2026 election year got underway, campaign activity around Nancy Mace's gubernatorial bid increased, with appearances across South Carolina. Internal campaign polling around this period placed Mace at approximately 24 percent in the Republican primary field, an early front-runner position.
The formal launch date is documented in the 2026 Governor Campaign entry; specific stops and remarks should be added with sources.
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June 19, 2026 · DispatchTrump endorses both SC runoff candidates: 'These were the two that I was hoping would get into a Runoff'
On June 19, 2026, four days before the June 23 South Carolina Republican gubernatorial runoff, President Trump posted on Truth Social that rather than choose between the two candidates still standing, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson, he would endorse both. He wrote that 'these were the two that I was hoping would get into a Runoff, and they did.' Neither is Nancy Mace, who finished fifth (about 12.1 percent) in the June 9 primary and has said her vote to release the Epstein files cost her Trump's support. The Washington Post had reported on June 16 that Trump was weighing exactly this dual endorsement. Post & Courier reporter Caitlin Byrd surfaced the post.
June 11, 2026 · DispatchMace vows to be 'more of a menace than ever' after the primary loss
Days after her fifth-place finish in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, Nancy Mace struck a defiant tone, signaling she would stay politically active and saying she intends to be 'more of a menace than ever' as her House term winds down.
June 10, 2026 · Dispatch'I chose wrong if the goal was winning an election': Mace blames her Epstein-files vote for the loss
After her fifth-place finish in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, Nancy Mace attributed her defeat to her vote to release the unredacted Epstein files over President Trump's objections, and marked the loss with a baked-beans photo on X, a callback to a viral 2024 meme.
- June 10, 2026 · Dispatch
National Review post-mortem: 'How Nancy Mace Self-Immolated'
National Review, a conservative flagship, ran a scathing post-mortem on Nancy Mace's fifth-place primary finish, arguing the collapse was self-inflicted by a politician who 'would say and do just about anything for attention.' The critique is notable for coming from her own ideological side.
June 9, 2026 · Dispatch'My time is up at the end of this year': Mace confirms she's leaving Congress
In her concession after the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, Nancy Mace confirmed she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House: 'my time is up at the end of this year.' Her House term ends in January 2027. She has described the exit as keeping a three-term pledge she says she made in 2020, a characterization examined below.
- June 8, 2026 · Dispatch
Primary day: South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary
The South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary is held June 9, 2026, with Mace polling at roughly 12-15 percent after Trump endorsed rival Pamela Evette on May 29.