Evette, Wilson head to runoff in heated South Carolina GOP governor’s race

The GOP primary race for governor of South Carolina is projected to head to a runoff between Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) and state Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), according to Decision Desk HQ.

Evette, who is backed by President Trump, and Wilson were the top two vote-getters, but neither snagged the majority of support needed to win Tuesday’s primary outright. They’ll face off again in a June 23 runoff, and both have already committed to a debate later this month.

Republican hopefuls crowded into the race to replace outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster (R) as head of the state that’s key to the early presidential nominating calendar. Three Democrats were battling in their own primary across the aisle, but Cook Political Report considers the South Carolina governor’s mansion to be solidly Republican.

South Carolina state Sen. Jermaine Johnson is projected to secure the Democratic nod Tuesday.

Evette and Wilson edged out businessman Rom Reddy and Republican Reps. Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace, among others, in Tuesday’s GOP primary.

Most candidates sought to stress their alignment with President Trump on the campaign trail in the state he won by double digits in 2024, but Evette ultimately snagged his endorsement.

If Evette can go on to win the runoff, it’ll mark another victory for Trump, whose preferred candidates have been largely on a winning streak this cycle.

Several Trump-backed challangers beat several high-profile GOP detractors last month — including Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.), Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Sen. John Cornyn (Texas). Trump, however, hit a snag last week in Iowa’s primaries when his pick for governor, Rep. Randy Feenstra (R), lost to Republican Zach Wahls.

Updated at 8:43 p.m. EDT