Spurned by President Donald Trump, Republican Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman both fell short Tuesday in their bids to become South Carolina’s next governor. With no candidate taking a majority of the vote, the GOP primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster is heading for a June 23 runoff between Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who has Trump’s endorsement, and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, the son of Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. Evette was leading the field with 29 percent of the vote around 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, followed by Wilson with 26 percent. Norman trailed with about 16 percent, while Mace had 12 percent, just behind businessman Rom Reddy at 14 percent, according to The Associated Press. The Republican nominee will be heavily favored to prevail over Democrat Jermaine Johnson in November in a deep-red state where the GOP has controlled the governor’s mansion since 2003. Mace and Norman are the latest Republican House members from reliably red seats to stumble in their quest for higher office. Last week, Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota and Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa also lost gubernatorial primaries. Other GOP House members to fall short in statewide bids this year include conservative firebrand Rep. Chip Roy, who lost his race for Texas attorney general in a runoff last month; Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished third in Texas' Senate primary in March; and Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, who failed to qualify for next week’s Senate runoff election in Georgia. Mace, who represents the Charleston-anchored 1st District, has reveled in her reputation as a politically mercurial outsider. She came to Congress in 2021 touting more moderate views on social issues such as LBGTQ rights and abortion but has since burnished an image as an ardent conservative and outspoken opponent of transgender rights. In recent months, Mace was part of a cadre of Republican women in the House who pushed for greater protections for victims of sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill and tangled with Trump over the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday, Mace, who has spoken about her experience as a sexual abuse survivor, characterized her advocacy for victims as a matter of principle, a decision that she said cost her the election. “I'm at peace with that. Because when a candidate is OK with corruption and cover-ups - something is broken. That's not a political opinion. That's a moral emergency,’’ she said in a social media post. Norman has represented South Carolina's 5th District since winning a special election in 2017. As a senior member of the Freedom Caucus, he has frequently used his platform to push for fiscal restraint, a position that sometimes found him at odds with Trump. He also backed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Both parties appear to be heading for primary runoffs in the race to succeed Mace in the 1st District. On the Democratic side, retired Navy Adm. Nancy Lacore, who was removed from her post as chief of the Navy Reserve last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was in first place with over 36 percent of the vote around 11:30 p.m. Eastern time. Coast Guard veteran and 2024 contender Mac Deford had 29 percent, according to the AP. In the Republican primary, Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt and state Rep. Mark Smith advanced to the runoff, according to the AP. Inside Electionss with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race for the 1st District as Solid Republican. In the deep-red 5th District, Republican state Sen. Wes Climer did not face a primary opponent and is heavily favored to succeed Norman. Graham wins Also Tuesday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham quelled a primary challenge from a conservative insurgent, capturing enough of the vote to avoid a runoff. Graham, who has cultivated a reputation as skilled deal-maker and a foreign policy hawk over his four terms in the Senate, was leading appliance shop owner Mark Lynch, 58 percent to 28 percent, shortly after 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, the AP reported. Graham’s allies ran an ad highlighting Lynch’s disclosure that he had been arrested in 1984 for cocaine trafficking. The two candidates also tangled over the war in Iran. Lynch, who styled himself as an anti-interventionist in the mold of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., had the backing of several former Trump associates, including Joe Kent, the onetime director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. But Graham had the support of Trump himself, who has called Lynch “a LUNATIC” who would be “a DISASTER for the Republican Party.” Graham will next face pediatrician Annie Andrews, who won the Democratic Senate primary. North Dakota GOP freshman Rep. Julie Fedorchak once again turned back retired Foreign Service officer Alex Balazs in the primary for North Dakota’s heavily Republican at-large district. Balazs had the backing of the state GOP, but Fedorchak secured the all-important Trump endorsement. She next faces a rematch from 2024 with Marine Corps veteran Trygve Hammer, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Nevada The race to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Mark Amodei in Nevada's heavily Republican 2nd District remained close Tuesday after 8:30 p.m. Pacific time. The leading GOP contenders are retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo, who picked up Trump’s endorsement, and former state Sen. James Settelmeyer, who has the backing of Amodei and Gov. Joe Lombardo. In other House races, Republican voters picked state Sen. Carrie Buck to take on Democratic Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada's 1st District. Composer Marty O'Donnell won the GOP nod in the 3rd District to challenge Democratic incumbent Susie Lee, and Republican businessman Cody Whipple will face Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford in the 4th District. All three seats are on House Republicans' target list this year.
