UMVA has learned that Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is confident that President Donald Trump's endorsement of her opponent, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, has not significantly boosted Evette's standing with conservative voters.
Mace told UMVA's partners that many grassroots Republicans are "very upset" with Trump's decision to endorse Evette, and that it hasn't resulted in a substantial increase in support for her opponent. "It's not going over well for her with the grassroots, which is why she didn't get much of a bump," Mace said.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Mace predicted that Evette will be forced into a runoff, where "all bets are off." Mace described the primary as "a dog fight" and vowed to "fight to the death" to secure the Republican nomination.
Mace's comments come as a result of her public feud with Trump, who chose not to endorse her due to her vote in Congress to push for the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mace revealed that she wasn't surprised by Trump's decision, saying "I knew it was on the line when I voted to release the Epstein files, and I'm a survivor."
If the price to pay for an endorsement was to not release those files, Mace emphasized that she would never pay it. Mace was one of four Republicans to sign a petition to force a vote in the House on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation that aimed to publish all information on the probe into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Trump's endorsement was also in favor of South Carolina's current term-limited governor, Henry McMaster, who has endorsed Evette as his potential successor. Trump expressed his support for Evette on social media, stating that she would be a "terrific Governor of South Carolina."
The Republican primary field is crowded, with Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson, Rep. Ralph Norman, businessman Rom Reddy, and Mace all vying for the nomination. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff, a situation Mace predicted could reshape the race despite Trump's backing of Evette.
Mace disagreed with Trump's endorsement and urged voters in South Carolina to support her on Tuesday, saying "I disagree with this endorsement. And I'm going to vote for myself. I'm asking voters in South Carolina to vote for me as well on Tuesday."
