South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson will head to a runoff to see who will face off in the general gubernatorial election after each placed in the top two slots in the Republican primary.Evette won the GOP gubernatorial primary with about 29.1% of the vote, compared to her closest rival, Wilson, who came in second place with 26.5%, according to the Associated Press as of Tuesday evening. Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Nancy Mace (R-SC), each self-described MAGA conservatives who were snubbed of the Trump endorsement, came in third and fifth place, with 16.5% and 11.4% of the vote. Businessman Rom Reddy topped Mace, as he placed fourth with 14.9%.The runoff result is a hit, but not a loss for President Donald Trump, who endorsed Evette for the nomination at the end of May. Evette had led in several recent polls, and Trump’s backing has typically gone far in the deep-red state, which he won by over 17 percentage points in 2024.
“South Carolina families sent a clear message: they want a Governor who will fight for their families, lower costs, keep communities safe, and put taxpayers first,” Wilson said in a message on X.
Evette focused her campaign on aligning South Carolina with the Trump administration agenda, running the state more frugally, and modernizing the state’s infrastructure. Wilson ran on similar priorities but also centered his message around securing law and order in South Carolina and an economy-driven message to “Make South Carolina Affordable Again.”
