For those of us struggling to understand today’s Republican Party, this past week’s primary elections in South Carolina offered a useful case study.

The key developments were these: Rep. Nancy Mace — a former conservative rising star who seems tailor-made for the Trump-era attention economy — finished fifth in her state’s Republican primary for governor.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham — who seems like a relic from an earlier time in the Republican Party — easily dispatched a wealthy “America First” primary challenger.

At first glance, none of this makes sense.

Making matters more confusing, when it comes to the defining “issue” of our time — Donald Trump — Graham and Mace have both spent years criticizing him and then crawling back to him.

Until, that is, one found the door locked.

In 2026, Graham flourished, while Mace crashed and burned. Every zig and zag that led them here was all about Trump.

Graham once was one of his fiercest critics. During that first presidential campaign, he called Trump a “demagogue,” “the world’s biggest jackass” and a “race-baiting xenophobic religious bigot,” just to cite a few of his zingers.

Trump returned fire and famously gave out Graham’s phone number to the public at a campaign event.

The two eventually patched things up, and Graham even got Trump to endorse his 2020 reelection campaign.

That alliance appeared to shatter after the 2021 Capitol riot, however. “Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey,” Graham said on Jan 6. “All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”

Enough wasn’t enough, and he wasn’t “out” long.

Graham was promptly confronted by angry Trump supporters at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and was called a traitor. And wouldn’t you know it, before long, Graham was back in the MAGA fold, voting to acquit Trump in the Senate impeachment trial.

Since then, Graham has stuck with Trump, and it has paid big dividends.

On paper, Graham isn’t a perfect fit for today’s GOP. He’s a foreign-policy hawk, at a time when that’s no longer necessarily a plus. He was a huge supporter of immigration reform (i.e., amnesty). And in 2020, the hashtag #LadyGraham took off on social media, amplifying a rumor about the moniker that the Washington Post said “purportedly refers to Graham’s nickname among male sex workers.”

Despite all of this, Graham continues to survive — and thrive — in Trump’s Republican Party.

Mace’s trajectory was no less circuitous.

Following the Jan. 6 attack, newly sworn-in Rep. Mace declared that Trump’s “entire legacy” had been “wiped out.” (Like Graham, she declined to support impeachment.)

Trump backed her 2022 primary challenger, calling Mace “ crazy” and a “terrible person.”

The day after Trump endorsed her opponent, Mace filmed a fawning video outside Trump Tower, describing herself as one of Trump’s “earliest supporters.”

She managed to win, and seemed committed to going hard MAGA. And it seemed to work. Until it didn’t.

So why was Graham able to be rehabilitated, while Mace hit the skids?

There are several important differences.

First, there are certain sins that Trump views as unpardonable. Mace’s downfall can be traced to her decision to sign a discharge petition seeking the release of the Epstein files, which Trump has largely succeeded in keeping secret.

The second reason has to do with the way Mace and Graham view their careers.

Graham’s goal appears to be maintaining relevance and influence — not fame, not stardom.

In this regard, he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Aside from endorsing Graham’s 2026 reelection, Trump has implausibly embraced Graham’s bellicose stance against Iran.

Compare that with the more erratic and fame-focused Mace, who, earlier this year, “allegedly instructed a staffer to go on Reddit forums about the ‘hottest women in Congress’ to boost her standing in the rankings and comment where needed.”

Mace wants to be a star. Graham understands that Trump is always the star.

(Note: When it comes to influence, Graham has the benefit of access, having become a frequent golfing partner of Trump’s. This gave him the kind of face time that House members and women tend to be denied.)

The third major factor was timing.

Mace’s decision to break with Trump over the Epstein files was followed by her voicing concerns about a potential war with Iran. This placed her on the “wrong side” of issues that Trump had turned into loyalty tests.

And this happened at precisely the moment Trump appeared determined to settle scores. Those Republicans who refused to switch from “America First” to “Trump First” included Mace and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.).

In politics, timing is everything. Graham and Mace were both playing a game of musical chairs. But while Graham saved his seat early, Mace abandoned hers to run for governor and was caught flat-footed when the music stopped.

Which brings us back to the broader lesson.

The story of Graham and Mace is a stark reminder that Trumpism is a cult of personality.

That’s why the supposedly outdated Republican senator is still standing while the seemingly more MAGA-compatible politician is out of a job.

The big lesson from South Carolina is that in today’s Republican Party, vibes and ideological purity matter less than loyalty — and loyalty is defined by one man.

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Matt K. Lewis is the author of “ Filthy Rich Politicians” and “ Too Dumb to Fail.”

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