Evette and Wilson advance to runoff for South Carolina governor while Graham clinches nomination

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a June runoff for the Republican nomination for South Carolina governor, while U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham won his own GOP primary outright Tuesday in his pursuit of a fifth term in November.

Trump early on gave his endorsement of Graham, a political confidant and regular golfing partner of the president, despite their on-again, off-again relationship. Graham also had secured the state’s leading Republicans, Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster, to chair his 2026 run.

But Evette secured a runoff berth for governor only a week after garnering Trump’s endorsement. Meanwhile, Wilson moved ahead Tuesday to meet Evette in the June 23 primary. Others in the race included U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman. Mace quickly threw her support to Wilson for the upcoming primary.

No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades, and Republicans in recent history typically have taken statewide seats by double-digit margins. When he last ran in 2020, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent by a 10 percentage point margin.

GOP governor candidates have played largely to Trump
Competition among Republicans for Trump’s support has seemed more intense than any other facet of the primary campaign.

Even before Evette received the president’s endorsement, she frequently featured photos and videos of herself with Trump in campaign materials. She was backed by McMaster, the term-limited outgoing governor, a longstanding ally of Trump whose support telegraphed the president’s own.

Mace also wanted Trump’s support, and he endorsed her congressional reelection in 2024 even though she criticized his actions of Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Norman, among the most conservative members of the House and a member of the Freedom Caucus, strongly supported Trump in the president’s first term. But in the 2024 campaign, Norman stumped for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley instead of Trump.

Rom Reddy, a coastal businessman who has eschewed campaign donations and self-funded his effort, has touted his lack of political experience as an asset, drawing comparisons between Trump and himself.

Graham, backed by Trump, hopes to bounce Lynch en route to 5th term
South Carolina’s other top contest Tuesday saw Graham clinching the Republican nomination without need of a runoff.

Although their relationship has undulated through the years, Graham has remained close with Trump, who fulfilled the senator’s longstanding wish for direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Graham cheered Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and recently said he often speaks to the president about the ongoing conflict.

Among Graham’s primary foes was Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, who said Graham wasn’t conservative enough to represent the state. Calling himself an “America First” candidate, Lynch campaigned as a Trump supporter, but on social media the president has called him a “lunatic” and a “disaster for the Republican Party.”

Winning statewide in November remains a tall order for SC Democrats
Democrats haven’t won the governor’s office or a Senate seat in South Carolina for decades and Republicans in recent history typically have taken statewide seats by double-digit margins.

On Tuesday, Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews has won South Carolina’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, bidding to block Graham from a fifth term. Andrews, who unsuccessfully ran against Mace in 2022, had challenged what she’s characterized as Graham’s waffling positions over the course of his political career.

Republicans in recent history typically take statewide seats by double-digit margins. And when he last ran in 2020, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, by a 10 percentage point margin.

Meanwhile, McMaster defeated his opponent by nearly 18 percentage points in 2022.

Some Democrats hope to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Trump this year.

In the governor’s race, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson advanced Tuesday to a Democratic primary runoff in the South Carolina governor’s race.

Johnson has represented a district in the Columbia area for three terms. Seen as a rising star in the state party, Johnson was tapped to give this year’s Democratic response to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster’s state of the state address.

The winner of the November general election will succeed McMaster, who has been in office since Nikki Haley left her term early to join the first Trump administration.

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.