MAGA Rep. Nancy Mace is processing the collapse of her gubernatorial hopes in curious ways.
The South Carolina congresswoman was soundly rejected by Republican voters in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary, finishing last with just 12.1 percent of the vote.
On Wednesday, Mace—who gave up her House seat to run for governor—addressed her crushing loss on X by posting a photo of a bowl of baked beans.
“Some people expect me to be eating a pint of ice cream after my loss. I have other plans,” she wrote.
The post appears to reference a viral birthday photo of Mace eating barbecue and a large serving of beans, which became a viral meme in 2024 and drew mockery from critics. But if the meme stung at the time, the controversial congresswoman now appears to be leaning into the joke.
Still, California Governor Gavin Newsom couldn’t resist a quip, commenting, “That’s one way to cope.”
In a less cryptic post, the 48-year-old congresswoman blamed her loss on her support for releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files in spite of President Donald Trump’s opposition.
“As a survivor, I chose to stand on principle and stand against the Epstein cover-up. I chose to expose the names hidden in the sexual harassment slush fund. I chose to expose DEI judges. I chose to expose the abusers of children,” she wrote Tuesday evening.
“And apparently, I chose wrong if the goal was winning an election.”
On Wednesday, Mace doubled down in a curt post, writing, “I will gladly die on the hill that prosecutes the predators, murderers, r*pists and p*dophiles.”
Mace’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mace was first elected to Congress in 2020 after serving in the South Carolina state legislature, running as a centrist who defeated Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham.
Following redistricting that made her district safely Republican, she gradually shifted from a Trump critic to a firm MAGA supporter—but the grudge-holding president did not forget her early criticism and her role in forcing the release of the full Epstein files last year.
Trump, 79, threw his support behind South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Evette in the primary, who came in first and advanced to a primary runoff with South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
