Evette and Wilson advance to South Carolina GOP governor runoff

Pamela Evette and Alan Wilson will meet in a June 23 runoff in South Carolina's Republican primary for governor after none of the six candidates reached a majority of votes.

Evette is the state's lieutenant governor and had President Trump's endorsement. Wilson has served as attorney general for more than 15 years.

The primary had no clear frontrunner. Candidates eliminated include U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who had clashed with Trump in the past. She condemned him after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and he backed a primary challenger against her in 2022. She won that race and later helped push for the release of the Epstein files.

Trump endorsed Evette shortly before the primary. Mace conceded Tuesday night and endorsed Wilson. In a social media post, she said, "as a survivor, I chose to stand on principle and stand against the Epstein cover-up. And apparently, I chose wrong if the goal was winning an election."

Trump called Evette a "good friend, fighter, and WINNER" during early voting. Term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster also backs Evette.

State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former business executive Rom Reddy also fell short.

South Carolina has not elected a Democratic governor since Jim Hodges left office in 2003. Trump carried the state with 58 percent of the vote in 2024, making the Republican nominee the favorite in November.