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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina first district congresswoman Nancy Mace is making a “special announcement” next week – an event many suspect will mark the launch of her long-awaited 2026 gubernatorial candidacy.
News of Mace’s planned announcement was first reported by our media outlet on X, although her political organization has yet to provide a time or location for the event. So far, all we know is the announcement is planned for sometime Monday morning (August 4, 2025).
Additionally, Mace has scheduled a “Mother of all Town Halls” tour which is slated to begin next Wednesday (August 6, 2025) in Charleston, S.C. – with additional gatherings continuing through the end of the month. Dates and times for those events are also “to be determined,” a source familiar with the planning told FITSNews.
As of this writing, Mace is the only major prospective gubernatorial contender not to officially declare her candidacy – although it appears that is going to change very soon. Despite not formally announcing her bid, polls have shown Mace is running neck-and-neck with four-term attorney general Alan Wilson at the head of the GOP pack.
Wilson announced his candidacy last month in Lexington, S.C. Since then, lieutenant governor Pamela Evette and fifth district congressman Ralph Norman have also entered the race (here and here, respectively).
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So far, Evette and Norman are both trailing Mace and Wilson in the polls… although huge chunks of the GOP electorate remain undecided. For those of you unfamiliar with Palmetto electoral politics, the GOP primary is the only game in town – with Democrats failing to win a top-of-the-ticket race in South Carolina since 1998.
Mace has dominated the conversation in this race since February, when she took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to level seismic allegations against her former fiancé Patrick Bryant and three other men in what has become known as the “scorched earth” speech.
“We’re talking about rape, nonconsensual photos and nonconsensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated, exploitation of innocent women and girls,” Mace said.
Mace’s speech also blasted a justice system which, according to her, lacked “the guts to call them out or hold them accountable.” She specifically singled out Wilson, whom her campaign has repeatedly claimed is covering for criminals.
“When I uncovered evidence of rape, illegal filming of women, illegal photographing of women, and sex trafficking, I didn’t just see victims — I saw a system which failed to protect them,” she said.
Mace’s allegations are part of an ongoing criminal investigation led by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
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One of the men accused by Mace in her speech, Brian Musgrave of Fort Mill, S.C., has since sued her for defamation. Another, John Osborne of Johns Island, recently lost his job as a managing partner at a Charleston, S.C.-based venture capital firm. Yet another, Eric Bowman of Sullivans Island, S.C. was arrested three months ago by officers of the Sullivans Island Police Department (SIPD) and charged with one count of first degree harassment and one count of stalking. Those charges did not directly involve Mace, however.
Mace has also filed a civil lawsuit against Bowman accusing him of making “multiple, objectively false assertions of fact to third parties asserting that she committed illegal acts and abused her office.”
Another lawsuit filed by a Jane Doe targeted Bryant, Osborne and Bowman – while Bryant’s pushback against the allegations has sparked yet another flurry of legal activity.
Additional lawsuits are forthcoming, sources familiar with the saga have told FITSNews.
Will Mace be able to decouple from the drama and mount a successful bid for governor? And how would a win impact her rising national stock? We shall see… keep it tuned to FITSNews as our Crossroads 2026 coverage continues to track the latest developments in all of these emerging races.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
Interesting that the “MOUTH” is having a “MOATH”.
She’s pregnant.