- Jun 24, 2025
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South Carolina's Republican voters have spoken, and they picked their candidate for governor in decisive fashion. Attorney General Alan Wilson cruised to victory in Tuesday's GOP runoff primary, as reported by Trending Views, defeating Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette by a commanding margin. Wilson will now carry the Republican banner into the general election this November.
The governor's seat opened up because Henry McMaster, the current occupant, cannot run again due to term limits. That created a wide open contest that attracted a packed field of GOP contenders. On June 9, five candidates competed in the initial primary: Wilson, Evette, U.S. Representatives Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace, and businessman Rom Reddy. None of them cleared the majority threshold required for an outright win, so the top two vote getters moved on to a head to head runoff.
Evette actually finished first in that initial round, pulling in 136,480 votes for about 28.9 percent of the total. Wilson trailed her with 123,643 votes, roughly 26.2 percent. Norman grabbed 17.1 percent, Reddy collected 14.2 percent, and Mace brought up the rear at 12.1 percent. Overall turnout exceeded 472,000 ballots.
The runoff, however, was a completely different story. Wilson took somewhere between 65.8 and 66.7 percent of the vote, while Evette managed only 33.3 to 34.2 percent. Early numbers showed Wilson out front by a ratio of more than two to one across multiple precincts. Decision Desk HQ was confident enough to call the outcome shortly after polls closed at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, with NBC News and other outlets confirming the result soon after.
One interesting factor going into the runoff involved President Donald Trump's endorsement. Trump had originally given his exclusive backing to Evette on May 29, before the first primary took place. However, as the runoff approached, he issued an additional endorsement that covered Wilson as well. Trump told voters they could not go wrong with either candidate and said he did not want to damage the prospects of either finalist.
Wilson brings plenty of experience to the table. He has held the position of Attorney General in South Carolina since January 2011, having first won that office in 2010. He earned his undergraduate degree at Francis Marion University and his law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Before becoming the state's top legal officer, he worked as both an assistant solicitor and an assistant attorney general.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Jermaine Johnson locked up his party's nomination on June 9 with 221,951 votes, which represented close to 60 percent of the Democratic primary total. While the November contest could look competitive at first glance, the historical trend heavily favors Wilson. South Carolina has not elected a Democrat as governor since 1998, which positions Wilson as the strong favorite heading into the fall campaign.
Continue reading more about it at: Alan Wilson Dominates GOP Runoff in South Carolina, Setting the Stage for a November Governor's Race
The governor's seat opened up because Henry McMaster, the current occupant, cannot run again due to term limits. That created a wide open contest that attracted a packed field of GOP contenders. On June 9, five candidates competed in the initial primary: Wilson, Evette, U.S. Representatives Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace, and businessman Rom Reddy. None of them cleared the majority threshold required for an outright win, so the top two vote getters moved on to a head to head runoff.
Evette actually finished first in that initial round, pulling in 136,480 votes for about 28.9 percent of the total. Wilson trailed her with 123,643 votes, roughly 26.2 percent. Norman grabbed 17.1 percent, Reddy collected 14.2 percent, and Mace brought up the rear at 12.1 percent. Overall turnout exceeded 472,000 ballots.
The runoff, however, was a completely different story. Wilson took somewhere between 65.8 and 66.7 percent of the vote, while Evette managed only 33.3 to 34.2 percent. Early numbers showed Wilson out front by a ratio of more than two to one across multiple precincts. Decision Desk HQ was confident enough to call the outcome shortly after polls closed at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, with NBC News and other outlets confirming the result soon after.
One interesting factor going into the runoff involved President Donald Trump's endorsement. Trump had originally given his exclusive backing to Evette on May 29, before the first primary took place. However, as the runoff approached, he issued an additional endorsement that covered Wilson as well. Trump told voters they could not go wrong with either candidate and said he did not want to damage the prospects of either finalist.
Wilson brings plenty of experience to the table. He has held the position of Attorney General in South Carolina since January 2011, having first won that office in 2010. He earned his undergraduate degree at Francis Marion University and his law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Before becoming the state's top legal officer, he worked as both an assistant solicitor and an assistant attorney general.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Jermaine Johnson locked up his party's nomination on June 9 with 221,951 votes, which represented close to 60 percent of the Democratic primary total. While the November contest could look competitive at first glance, the historical trend heavily favors Wilson. South Carolina has not elected a Democrat as governor since 1998, which positions Wilson as the strong favorite heading into the fall campaign.
Continue reading more about it at: Alan Wilson Dominates GOP Runoff in South Carolina, Setting the Stage for a November Governor's Race