Overview
- State Attorney General Alan Wilson defeated Lt. Gov. Pam Evette in the Republican runoff held Tuesday, June 23, winning roughly two thirds of the vote to about one third and securing the GOP nomination.
- Wilson grew his advantage after the June 9 primary by picking up endorsements from eliminated rivals and key Republicans, including Reps. Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace and Sen. Tim Scott, which helped consolidate conservative voters behind him.
- President Donald Trump’s rare dual endorsement of both Evette and Wilson days before the runoff complicated the race by removing a clear presidential signal and allowed Trump to claim a stake no matter the outcome.
- The single debate before the runoff was contentious and disorderly, featuring repeated rebuttals, audience jeers, and charges of dishonesty that underscored the intra‑party tensions driving voter choices.
- Wilson will face Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in November, and in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor since 1998 the GOP primary result is widely seen as determinative of who will lead South Carolina next year.