Evette and Wilson force South Carolina governor runoff

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson will meet in a June 23 Republican runoff for South Carolina governor after both failed to clinch the nomination outright Tuesday. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham won his own Senate primary outright, settin

Greenville, S.C. — For South Carolina Republicans, Tuesday’s primary produced a clear split-screen: one contest locked into place without a runoff, and another headed to a head-to-head showdown.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson each advanced to the Republican runoff for South Carolina governor after neither won the nomination outright. Evette earned her runoff spot a week after receiving a presidential endorsement. and she will face Wilson in the June 23 primary.

Evette’s entry into the race has been closely tied to President Donald Trump’s backing. She secured her runoff berth only after Trump endorsed her in the governor’s contest, an endorsement that came after she had already been featuring photos and videos of herself with Trump in campaign materials.

Wilson, meanwhile, was the candidate drawing swift alignment from one of the other Republican contenders. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace quickly threw her support to Wilson for the upcoming primary.

The Republican governor field also included U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman. Mace’s decision point was earlier as well: she backed Wilson after participating in a campaign shaped by competing bids for Trump’s support. In 2024, Mace endorsed her own congressional reelection even though she criticized Trump’s actions of Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Norman, one of the most conservative members of the House and a Freedom Caucus member, supported Trump during his first term. But in the 2024 campaign he stumped for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley instead of Trump.

Also in the contest was Rom Reddy, a coastal businessman who eschewed campaign donations and self-funded his effort. Reddy pitched his lack of political experience as an asset, framing his campaign with comparisons to Trump.

By contrast, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s path was already largely decided. Graham won his own Republican Senate primary outright Tuesday as he pursues a fifth term in November.

Trump endorsed Graham early in the process, and the senator acknowledged that backing in his victory speech. Addressing Trump, Graham said, “I’m going to help you change this world and change this country.”

Graham has long leaned into national security themes in his campaign messaging. He has been outspoken in favor of military action against Iran.

The political calculus around Trump’s support mattered here too. Graham has also secured the backing of leading South Carolina Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster, whose support telegraphed Trump’s own.

Graham’s connections with Trump have been described as close even as their relationship has “undulated through the years.” The two have remained regular golfing partners, and Trump granted Graham the endorsement that helped him move forward without a runoff.

Graham’s most difficult opponent in the Senate primary was Greenville businessman Mark Lynch. Lynch argued Graham wasn’t conservative enough to represent the state and billed himself as an “America First” candidate running as a Trump supporter.

Trump, however, has not shied away from attacking Lynch. The president has called Lynch a “lunatic” and a “disaster for the Republican Party.”

Still, Graham emphasized the presidential bond in the broader fight with Democrats. He has been outspoken in favor of direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. and Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year matched a longstanding wish of Graham’s. Graham cheered that decision, and he has said he often speaks to Trump about the ongoing conflict.

As for the general election, Graham will face Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews in November. When it comes to the Senate matchup, Democrats see an opening that has been missing for years: no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.

Andrews ran unsuccessfully against Mace in 2022. Now, running against Graham, she challenged what she characterized as Graham’s waffling positions over the course of his political career.

If Graham’s Senate campaign is grounded in national politics, the governor’s race is showing the strain inside the state GOP itself—especially when Trump support is treated like a prize that can swing an entire primary.

Even before Evette received Trump’s endorsement, her campaign had been steeped in it. Photos and videos of her with the president had already appeared in campaign materials. McMaster. the term-limited outgoing governor and a longstanding ally of Trump. backed Evette as well—another signal that the presidential orbit was part of the strategy.

In the governor’s Democratic contest, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson won the nomination outright for South Carolina governor. Johnson has represented a district in the Columbia area for three terms. and he has been seen as a rising star in the state party. Johnson was also tapped to give this year’s Democratic response to McMaster’s state of the state address.

McMaster has been in office since Nikki Haley left her term early to join the first Trump administration.

Republicans, meanwhile, are walking into a November campaign where the state’s recent record is difficult for Democrats to ignore. Democrats have not won a general election for governor in South Carolina since 1998. and Republicans have controlled all statewide-elected offices in the state for more than a decade.

The biggest immediate difference Tuesday was procedural, but it affects everything that comes next: Graham’s Senate race is set, while Evette and Wilson will now battle again—June 23—to determine who carries the Republican banner for governor.

South Carolina governor runoff Pamela Evette Alan Wilson Lindsey Graham Annie Andrews June 23 primary Republican nomination South Carolina politics Jermaine Johnson