Alan Wilson, the longtime Attorney General of South Carolina, secured the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesday’s highly anticipated primary runoff election. He defeated Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette by a wide margin, and is now set to face Democratic Party nominee Jermaine Johnson in the November 3 general election.
The 2026 race for governor is an open contest, as current Republican Governor Henry McMaster is term-limited. A crowded Republican primary field in the initial June 9 contest featured Evette, Wilson, U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace, and businessman Rom Reddy. No candidate received a majority of the vote, which triggered a runoff between the top two finishers.
In the June 9 primary, Evette received 136,480 votes (28.9 percent), Wilson received 123,643 votes (26.2 percent), Norman received 80,790 votes (17.1 percent), Reddy received approximately 66,992 votes (14.2 percent), and Mace received 57,380 votes (12.1 percent). The total votes cast exceeded 472,000.
The June 23 runoff produced a decisive result for Wilson. With votes reported, he captured roughly 65.8 to 66.7 percent of the vote compared to Evette’s 33.3 to 34.2 percent. Early returns showed Wilson leading by margins exceeding 2-to-1 in multiple precincts.
Decision Desk HQ projected Wilson as the winner on the evening of June 23, shortly after polls closed at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Other outlets, including NBC News, also projected his victory based on the same early data trends.
Decision Desk HQ projects Alan Wilson wins the SC Governor Republican Runoff#DecisionMade: 7:22 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/i9CUeJWTTk
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) June 23, 2026
President Donald Trump’s involvement shaped the final stage of the contest. Trump issued an exclusive endorsement of Evette on May 29, ahead of the initial primary, but later issued a follow-up endorsement to include Wilson just days before the runoff.
He stated that the two finalists were the ones he had hoped would advance and that he did not wish to harm either by endorsing only one. Trump described both as aligned with his priorities and noted that voters “can’t go wrong” with either.
Wilson has served as South Carolina’s Attorney General since January 2011, having been first elected in 2010. A graduate of Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina School of Law, he previously worked as an assistant solicitor and assistant attorney general.
Wilson will face Democrat Jermaine Johnson, who won his party’s primary on June 9 with 221,951 votes (59.7 percent). South Carolina has not elected a Democrat governor since 1998, while Wilson enters the general election as a heavy favorite.
