Anti-Trans Firebrand Nancy Mace Loses Governor’s Race
The anti-trans congresswoman finished fifth in South Carolina's GOP gubernatorial primary and will leave Congress next year.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who has become one of Congress’s most outspoken opponents of transgender rights, has lost her bid to become the Republican nominee for governor of South Carolina.
With 95% of precincts reporting, Mace finished fifth in the seven-candidate field with 12.1% of the vote.
Because no candidate surpassed 50% of the vote, the top two finishers — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, and Attorney General Alan Wilson — will advance to a June 23 runoff. The winner will be favored in the general election.
Also finishing ahead of Mace were U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and businessman Rom Reddy, founder of the Elon Musk-inspired DOGESC organization, which advocates auditing state agencies, eliminating state income taxes, and using artificial intelligence to identify cost-cutting measures.
Although Mace initially developed a reputation as one of the few pro-LGBTQ Republicans in Congress, she has spent the past several years positioning herself as one of the nation’s most prominent opponents of transgender rights.
Mace has used the derogatory term “tranny” during Capitol Hill hearings, called for transgender people to be institutionalized, and attacked colleagues who objected to her efforts to attach anti-transgender provisions to must-pass spending bills. In one exchange, she invoked antisemitic stereotypes while suggesting that a Jewish congresswoman needed a nose job.
Most notably, Mace joined U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in pressuring House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to adopt a policy barring transgender people from using restrooms and changing facilities that do not align with their assigned sex at birth.
The push for the ban was prompted by the election of U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first openly transgender member of Congress. Mace later introduced legislation and a resolution seeking to codify similar restrictions in Capitol facilities and on federally owned property.
McBride briefly referenced Mace’s defeat during remarks at the 6th Annual National Pride Gala, hosted by Equality PAC, a political action committee dedicated to electing LGBTQ candidates to public office.
“Today is the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, and for those of you who aren’t aware, my colleague, and Congress’ top bathroom sheriff, Nancy Mace, is on the ballot,” McBride said in her remarks. “And while all of the votes have not yet been counted, she is in a respectful (sic) fifth place. I don’t like to punch down, and I believe in the politics of grace, so I’ll just say, ‘Happy Pride, Nancy.'”
McBride said she refuses to be used as a “pawn” by conservative Republicans who seek to use transgender rights as a cultural wedge issue.
McBride also responded with “thoughts and prayers” to an X post comparing Mace to anti-transgender activist Riley Gaines.
“Nancy Mace. Riley Gaines,” the original post read, with a handshake emoji between the two names. “Conservative woman who placed 5th.”
Mace was one of only a handful of Republican House members who voted to demand the release of the Epstein files compiled during investigations into the sex trafficking operation run by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In a post on X, Mace suggested that her support for releasing the files may have cost her President Trump’s endorsement and, ultimately, the election. Mace did not seek reelection to her House seat in order to run for governor.
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