Mace concedes fifth place: "I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that"

On June 9, 2026, Mace finished fifth in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, receiving roughly 12.1 percent of the vote. In her concession remarks, she named the Epstein vote directly:

"I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that. As a survivor, I chose to stand on principle and stand against the Epstein cover-up."

She continued:

"I chose to expose DEI judges. I chose to expose the abusers of children."

"That's not a political opinion. That's a moral emergency."

She told Politico the endorsement loss was the decisive factor:

"That's the sole reason I didn't get the endorsement, because I voted to release the Epstein files, and I'm okay with that."

Mace was not alone in paying a political price. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who filed the original discharge petition, lost his 2026 Kentucky primary. Massie offered his own assessment: "Boebert, Greene and Mace have paid an enormous price for doing the right thing."

Source: Washington Times · Newsweek · CNN