Republican who defied Trump over Epstein braces for defeat in deep red stronghold

U.S. President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, U.S., June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

A series of recent GOP primaries found incumbents who President Donald Trump was upset with — including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), and at least five Indiana state lawmakers — losing to Trump-backed MAGA candidates. One of the things that is driving tensions between Trump and other Republicans is his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and according to Newsweek reporter Hugh Cameron, those tensions are playing out in deep red South Carolina.

"The group of Republican lawmakers who, last year, split with President Donald Trump over the handling of the Justice Department's files on Jeffrey Epstein seem set to suffer another defeat, this time in South Carolina's gubernatorial primary," Cameron explains in Newsweek. "Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the most-outspoken Republican advocates for releasing the Epstein files, is trailing in a crowded GOP primary field after Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Mace argues her support for greater transparency in the Epstein case was the key factor behind Trump's decision to back her rival."

Mace recently told Politico, "That's the sole reason I didn't get the endorsement: because I voted to release the Epstein files — and I'm OK with that. I've worked very hard to expose p– –, and child r– –, and sex trafficking in my state, and will continue to do it regardless of the outcome of the election.”

Similarly, Mace told CNN, "If the price of an endorsement was to not vote to lease the Epstein files, that is a price I am unwilling to pay."

Mace's comments, according to Cameron, "underscore lingering tensions inside the Republican Party over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files."

"The bipartisan push to release government records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became an unexpected source of friction between Trump and a group of Republican lawmakers who demanded greater transparency," the Newsweek journalist notes. "Although Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, directing the Justice Department to release all unclassified records tied to the case, critics argued the disclosures were incomplete and moved too slowly. Some of the loudest complaints came from Republicans who had championed the legislation, creating a rare public disagreement between Trump and members of his own party."

Cameron continues, "At times, Trump dismissed the controversy as a 'hoax' driven by political opponents, while transparency advocates continued pressing for additional disclosures. The dispute never developed into a broader rebellion against the president, but it exposed divisions within the GOP and raised questions about how far lawmakers were willing to challenge Trump on an issue that remained highly sensitive among Republican voters."

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