She Used the SLED Investigation as a Campaign Weapon. Then She Finished 5th and Endorsed Wilson Anyway.
Maceopedia ·
"Spoiled Brat" to "Wonderful"
Before either of them formally entered the 2026 race for South Carolina governor, Nancy Mace leveled a serious allegation at Attorney General Alan Wilson: she accused him of failing to act on a criminal case involving her ex-fiance, which she described as involving "heinous crimes against women including rape and voyeurism."
Wilson fired back, calling Mace a "spoiled brat" after she blamed him for a security detail mixup at the Charleston Airport.
Then Mace finished fifth in the June 9 Republican primary.
She endorsed Wilson the same night.
"Alan's been wonderful, and I can't say enough nice things about him. And I'm thrilled he's going to be the governor."
That reversal, from sexual-crime accusation to glowing endorsement in a matter of months, is the subject of a detailed reconstruction by The State's Joseph Bustos published August 24, 2026.
The SLED Investigation Is Still Active
Mace's central attack on Wilson centered on the ongoing South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation. According to The State, that investigation "is still active and ongoing" and "had not been sent to the attorney general's office" at the time Mace made her accusations.
In other words: Mace publicly blamed Wilson for failing to prosecute a case that SLED had not yet forwarded to his office.
The investigation remains open as of the date of this article.
Predators vs. Protectors
On primary night, Mace framed her endorsement of Wilson as a matter of principle:
"This is a fight between those who protect predators amongst us and those that will fight against them and put them in jail. I want a law and order governor and that law and order governor is going to be Alan Wilson."
She had previously accused Wilson of not prosecuting men charged with sexual abuse of children in plea deal agreements. She raised these criticisms during a legislative oversight hearing, sitting several rows behind Wilson in the Gressette Building on November 5, 2025.
How They Got There
The State reports the relationship began to thaw through face-to-face contact during debates and candidate forums. Wilson described the turning point:
"I think as we started to see each other in person more, it's easy to say things about people on social media, but when you start talking to them backstage, you know, at forums and debates and things like that, you have conversations, you start to see a human being, not an avatar on the social media app, and we started to talk."
Mace said many of their talks happened "offline." The conversations ran for about two months before primary night.
Wilson also reached out when Mace's father died during the campaign:
"I felt a great deal of compassion for her, and I reached out to her, and she obviously was grieving, and she was very appreciative of me reaching out to her, and I think every couple of days I check in on her, because I know that was tough for her."
Wilson Wrote Her Debate Joke
One moment of unlikely camaraderie came during a commercial break at the May 26 debate at Wofford College in Spartanburg. With Norman and Reddy spending most of the evening arguing with each other, Mace stayed out of the fray. Before closing statements, she turned to Wilson.
"I'm sure you all thought I was going to be the crazy one tonight. Turns out I'm not."
The line got laughs. Wilson wrote it.
"She liked it. To her credit, she had a good sense of humor. She used it," Wilson told reporters after the debate.
Mace confirmed Wilson suggested the line:
"I like to write my own jokes, but sometimes I like others to help me."
What Wilson Said After
On runoff night, Wilson described Mace as a maverick:
"Things didn't start out too cool with Nancy and me. Once we got a chance to sit down, once we got a chance to talk, we were both able to rise above our differences, we were able to come together."
He called her "a maverick who shook things up."
Mace framed the outcome as the natural result of two people actually talking:
"He said what he needed to say, and I said what I needed to say. Like in any friendship or relationship or professional relationship, we had a lot of conversations, and that grew out from there."
Sources & Related Coverage
- How SC's Mace, Wilson repaired relationship after bruising start in GOP primary, Joseph Bustos, The State, August 24, 2026
- Photos: Tracy Glantz / The State (Sottile Theater debate, April 21, 2026; Mace and Wilson at State House, Aug. 15, 2024; Wofford debate, May 26, 2026)
- Photo: SC ETV (Wilson testifying, Mace seated behind him, Gressette Building, Nov. 5, 2025)
- Maceopedia: Mace Won't Talk About Musgrave, and He Isn't Under the Gag Order
- Maceopedia: Can Nancy Mace Make a Living Off Her New Podcast?
Maceopedia: Cataloging the internet record about Nancy Mace.
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