Nancy Mace Enters Governor’s Race, Vows To ‘Flip The Tables If That’s What It Takes’

Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace officially announced her candidacy for South Carolina’s 2026 gubernatorial race Monday.

Speaking at her alma mater, The Citadel, Mace said she will “drag truth into the sunlight and flip the tables if that’s what it takes.”

Mace becomes the second member of South Carolina’s congressional delegation to enter the gubernatorial race, following Republican South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman’s announcement in late July. (RELATED: Tim Walz Left Speechless During Viral Nancy Mace Roast)

She is also the fifth Republican to enter the growing primary field, which includes Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson.

🚨BIG ANNOUNCEMENT🚨
tomorrow morning.

See you there, South Carolina.

South Carolina FIRST. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DqhiS0ELRC

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) August 3, 2025

“When we had a sanctuary sheriff in South Carolina, not one statewide elected official said a word, not a single one,” she said. “Look at Alan Wilson, the state’s top law enforcement officer, playing tough guy in press releases while cutting sweetheart deals for child molesters.”

“He let Donald Gresh, a man caught with thousands of images and videos of toddlers, as young as three years old, walk with one day in jail,” she said. “Five of six indictments dropped. Sixty years down to one day. That’s unforgivable … I’m not here to play the game, I’m here to hold the line.”

Mace first hinted at a potential run in a June interview with the Daily Caller, stating, “the system is so broken there I might be forced to run.”

The Daily Caller asked Mace what made her decide to officially enter the gubernatorial race. She pointed to the dysfunction and complacency she witnessed firsthand.

“No one else had the guts to say what needed to be said, or do what needed to be done.”

“We’ve got sanctuary sheriffs ignoring federal and state laws. Violent criminals walking free. Boys in girls’ locker rooms. Solicitors bankrolled by the very defense attorneys they have cases against,” she continued. “And every time I looked around for leadership, all I saw were politicians playing nice, or playing dead.”

She said the turning point came when she realized just how broken the system truly was — and how comfortable people had become with that “brokenness.”

“As someone who’s lived through that broken system myself, I don’t just see the failures. I’ve felt them. And I will fight for every victim across this state with the same fire I’ve carried my whole life.”

The Caller also asked Mace about the top concerns she’s hearing from voters on the ground and how she plans to address those issues if elected governor.

“The top issues I’m hearing from South Carolinians are clear: high taxes, rising crime, failing schools, judicial corruption and the radical gender agenda in education.”

“I’ve laid out a bold roadmap to fix it,” she said. “Eliminate the state income tax in five years, restore law and order, overhaul our broken courts, protect women and kids and give parents real control over their child’s education.”

We joined CloseUp on @WMUR9 in New Hampshire.

South Carolina doesn’t need another politician, it needs a fighter.

Big announcement coming soon. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/7EUBTB1akh

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) August 3, 2025

Mace further argued that South Carolinians are “paying more and getting less,” adding, “the best way to kill freedom is to tax it.”

Mace disclosed her plans to hold rallies across the state and how her events might differ from those held for President Donald Trump.

“We’re hitting the road, traveling the state, and taking this fight straight to the people. South Carolinians are ready for bold, unapologetic leadership,” she said.

Mace said she plans to take questions both from the press and the public and that she welcomes tough questions because she has “real answers.”

“Will my rallies look exactly like Trump’s?” she asked. “No, Donald Trump doesn’t wear heels. South Carolina First is America First.”

🚨 Nancy Mace is launching a statewide event series called THE MOTHER OF ALL TOWN HALLS – Sign Up To Get On Our Invitation list for a city near you! 🚨https://t.co/JhJMVotXWs pic.twitter.com/YKLPzsbpdw

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) July 29, 2025

The Caller also inquired about Mace’s internal polling, asking what the data shows about her competitiveness in the race and whether she believes she has a viable path to victory in both the primary and the general election.

“We’re leading the polls in South Carolina because voters know exactly what I stand for, and they’re done settling with the same old same old,” she continued. “They want a fighter with a plan, and I’m the only one with a real roadmap to cut taxes, restore law and order, protect women and kids, and clean out the corruption in our courts and schools.”

The Caller questioned the representative about her plan to protect women and children in South Carolina from what she described as “gender-bending ideology” on campuses, asking what specific actions she would take as governor to tackle those concerns.

“Protecting women and children isn’t political to me, it’s deeply personal.”

Mace stated that she would push to eliminate all state funding for any college or university that refuses to acknowledge basic biological definitions.

She argues that if an institution can’t clearly define what a woman is, it shouldn’t receive taxpayer dollars.

“Girls’ sports, locker rooms, and scholarships will be protected, period,” Mace stated.

“If I’m governor, South Carolina will be the worst place in America to coddle mentally ill men in mini skirts and support the woke gender cult.”