Nancy Mace's Gamble: Epstein Files Cost Her the Governor's Race

When Rep. Nancy Mace decided to champion the release of the Epstein Files, she knew it was a risk. What she apparently didn’t anticipate was just how costly that principled stand would become.

Mace conceded her South Carolina gubernatorial race on Tuesday night, finishing a distant fifth place with just 12% of the vote. The first Republican woman from South Carolina elected to Congress—once considered a top contender for governor—saw her campaign derailed by a perfect storm of controversy. Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette advanced to a runoff against state Attorney General Alan Wilson, leaving Mace’s political ambitions in the rear-view mirror.

The numbers tell the story of a campaign that lost momentum fast. But Mace herself pointed to a specific culprit: her very public push to release the Epstein Files. President Trump had dismissed the files as a“Democrat hoax,”and when Mace broke ranks to advocate for their release anyway, she essentially wrote off any hope of securing his endorsement. In South Carolina politics—or Republican politics anywhere these days—that’s a nearly insurmountable handicap.

Yet here’s where the story gets interesting. Mace didn’t apologize. She doubled down, framing her choice as one rooted in principle.“I chose to expose the abusers of children,”she said, adding that she’s“at peace”knowing it torpedoed her campaign. She reflected on the power of staying quiet versus speaking up, concluding she’d make the same call again.

Of course, the Epstein Files weren’t her only problem. In March, the House Ethics Committee investigated her for allegedly pocketing $9,500 more than she needed from a congressional housing assistance program. And a defamation lawsuit from her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant, hung over her campaign after she called him a sexual predator during a House speech in February 2025—allegations he says were fabricated.

So was it really about Epstein? Or was it the accumulated weight of scandal, the Trump cold shoulder, and voters simply moving on? Probably all of it. But what Mace’s exit tells us is something worth watching: in today’s Republican Party, there’s often a price for independence, even when that independence is spent on something as universally understood as protecting children.