President Trump issued a significant wave of endorsements this past Friday, shaking up several key gubernatorial races across the country. Notably, Representative Nancy Mace found herself bypassed by the president in the race for South Carolina governor. Trump chose to back Lieutenant Governor Pam Evette instead.
Mace immediately tied the snub to her legislative work, writing on X, “I know I put the likelihood of an endorsement on the line when I demanded transparency on the Epstein files. I demanded it because you deserved the truth – ALL OF IT – and as a survivor of a corrupt and broken court system, I will always pursue justice for those who deserve it. If sacrificing my values is the price of an endorsement, I will never pay it.”
The president’s endorsement of Evette was shared on Truth Social, where he praised her as an “America First Patriot” who “never wavered.” He further emphasized his support by writing, “Pam Evette is a good friend, fighter, and WINNER, and will be a terrific Governor of South Carolina. Pam has my Complete and Total Endorsement — SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Everyone who has supported Epstein transparency seems to have been targeted
Mace was one of the few Republican supporters of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a piece of bipartisan legislation that the president signed into law last year. Her once-colleague, Marjorie Taylor Greene, has consistently maintained that the push to squash the release of the files came from Trump, which adds credence to Mace’s claim.
The primary race in South Carolina is quite crowded. Per The Hill, a recent survey from the Trafalgar Group shows Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson locked in a dead heat, with 19.9 percent and 19.4 percent support, respectively. Representative Ralph Norman, who was also snubbed in this latest round of endorsements, sits at 15.9 percent, while Mace follows at 14.6 percent. South Carolina voters will head to the polls to decide this primary on June 9.
The president’s strategy of backing specific challengers against incumbents is a trend playing out in various states. According to Politico, the president has been wading into contests in South Carolina, Iowa, and Oklahoma, creating fierce competition for his blessing.
Politico noted that the president’s activity is part of a broader pattern of intervening in races where he has identified GOP party members as political foes or where he wants to ensure his preferred candidates gain traction. In Iowa, for instance, he recently backed Representative Randy Feenstra, calling him “MAGA all the way.”
The trend of targeting incumbents who have crossed him or failed to align with his priorities is becoming a hallmark of his current political approach. Politico noted that we have already seen the impact of this in other states, such as Kentucky and Louisiana, where Trump-backed challengers managed to defeat sitting officials.
Representative Thomas Massie, who also co-led the congressional effort to release the Epstein files, recently lost his own primary race in Kentucky. Critics have been quick to suggest that his loss is directly linked to his advocacy on that specific issue.
After his concession, Massie shared some sobering thoughts about the party’s direction, telling MS NOW, “I think it was dangerous to pare the tree tonight, but that’s what happened. They got pruned, and we’ll see if there’s enough tree left there to win in November and to have a governing majority.”
Trump also made a surprising move in Oklahoma by endorsing Mike Mazzei for governor. Mazzei, a former state senator, is currently running against several other candidates, including state Attorney General Gentner Drummond. While Mazzei has been trailing in the polls, a recent GOP-sponsored survey suggests he may be gaining ground, moving up to 22 percent.
The president’s message on Truth Social was characteristically bold, stating, “Mike Mazzei has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Oklahoma — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Oklahoma’s primary is set for June 16, and it will be interesting to see if this endorsement provides the surge Mazzei needs to overtake his opponents.
The president has demonstrated a commitment to reshaping the party by endorsing his preferred candidates, even at the expense of long-standing incumbents. Whether this strategy will lead to long-term success for the party in November remains to be seen, but for now, candidates like Mace are left to navigate the fallout of these high-stakes endorsements.
Published: Jun 1, 2026 09:20 am