Mace and Wilson clash as top GOP candidates for SC governor in 2026

EXCLUSIVE – As she launched her campaign for South Carolina governor, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace took aim at what she called “weak leadership” in the state.

The statement from Mace, which was reported first by Fox News Digital on Monday, appeared to be a subtle dig at the state’s Republican leaders, including longtime South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is a top rival for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Mace and Wilson are considered the front-runners in a crowded GOP primary field in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is the Palmetto State’s longest-serving governor.

Wilson, in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital a couple of hours after Mace announced her candidacy, argued that “Mace has been ranting and raving for the last six months about running for governor without actually saying it.”

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South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson returns fire against Republican gubernatorial nomination rival Rep. Nancy Mace, in a Fox News Digital interview.  (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Mace told Fox News a week and a half ago, ahead of her campaign launch, “I will fight to the finish, and I will take out South Carolina’s Attorney General, because he’s turned a blind eye on women and on children and on the state for a lot of reasons. He might force me to do this.”

Mace, in a bombshell speech on the U.S. House floor in February, alleged that Wilson ignored evidence of sexual assault against her and other women. In her hour-long speech, Mace accused four men, including her ex-fiance, of sexual crimes and said she was among the victims.

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Wilson vehemently denied Mace’s accusations, saying at the time “that allegation was never made to me — no one in my office.”

Wilson, in a recent statement to Fox News, argued that “Mace is a liar who will do anything to get attention to distract from her liberal voting record. I’ve served our country and dedicated my civilian career to protecting children.”

And pointing to Mace, Wilson said on Monday that “it’s obvious to me that she thinks about me more than I think about her. I’ve been very busy doing my job here in South Carolina and I really don’t pay that much attention to this person.”

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is interviewed by Fox News Digital on July 25, 2025, in Manchester, New Hampshire.  (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )

“I’m not running against anybody,” he added. “I’m running for the people of South Carolina.”

Wilson said as he campaigns for governor, he’s “trying to have a message that is uplifting, a message that is aspiration, and I’m trying to demonstrate to the people of South Carolina that I have a record of accomplishment, a record of success and I would be a stable hand on the wheel of South Carolina.”

And in what appeared to be a jab at Mace, he added, “I believe that you can be an agent of change and reform for our state without being an agent of chaos.”

Wilson showcased what he called his “real record of accomplishment, supporting and defending victims of crime in South Carolina as well as going after public officials who commit corrupt acts.”

And pointing to an issue that Mace regularly spotlights, Wilson said “when it comes to standing up to women and girls in sports and protecting women in private spaces, I’m the only candidate who’s been in court defending South Carolina’s laws.”

Mace kicked off her gubernatorial campaign with an event at Charleston’s Citadel, which is South Carolina’s military college and her alma mater. Mace made history as the first female graduate of the Citadel’s Corps of Cadets.

But Wilson, in his Fox News Digital interview, highlighted his long military career.

“The governor of South Carolina is the commander-in-chief of the South Carolina National Guard,” he noted. “I’ve got nearly 30 years in the military. I have served a combat tour in Iraq. I’m currently a colonel in the national guard. And I’m the only person in this race with real combat experience.”

And pointing to his support from law enforcement, Wilson said that he’s been endorsed by 26 sheriffs across the state, including all five in Mace’s congressional district in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

Wilson said his priorities as governor would be “focusing on reforming our education system, investing in our infrastructure, getting rid of fraud, waste and abuse, eliminating the income tax, and being more accountable to the people of South Carolina will be my priorities.”

Mace and Wilson are facing off in the Republican gubernatorial primary along with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Ralph Norman, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on Aug. 1, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump remains neutral so far in the primary. Trump’s grip over the GOP, thanks to his 2024 victory to win back the White House, is stronger than ever, and his endorsements in GOP nomination races are extremely influential.

Asked if she could land the president’s endorsement, Mace told Fox News Digital recently that “I’ll be working very hard if I get in to earn his support.”

And in her campaign launch video, Mace used clips of Trump calling her a “fighter” in a speech, and adding that “when she sets her sight on something, she’s tough.”

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But Wilson emphasized he’s “supported President Trump as attorney general since his first term…I have defended the president in court. I have defended his agenda in court. I have a great relationship with the president.”

Wilson added, “I intend to earn his endorsement and earn his support the way he has earned mine. And I’ve had his back for the last eight or nine years.”