South Carolina Governor’s Race: Knives Out

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Politics in South Carolina is pure bloodsport. Operatives branding themselves as “knife fighters” boast over bottles of brown liquor about “gutting” their rivals. Each election cycle, the field of political combat is littered with the entrails of the vanquished – as victors gloat over the gore and revel in the ruination of their rivals.

In the Palmetto State, knives are long… and memories even longer.

“Everything is connected, everyone is related,” one operative noted. “And nothing is forgotten.”

From the wooded hills of the Upstate to the blackwater swamps of the Lowcountry, daggers are typically unsheathed in late spring as days grow longer… aiming to “catch blood” ahead of critical intra-party races held each even-numbered June. And every four years, the savagery escalates to higher energy levels as South Carolina hosts the ‘First in the Nation’ (for Democrats) and ‘First in the South’ (for Republicans) presidential primaries.

As Damoclesian blades dangle over their intended targets – ready to be dropped via covert mailings, anonymous text messages or well-funded special interest blitzkriegs – the sheer depravity of the missives is stunning.

Each year elections get nastier… and each year the nastiness begins sooner.

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Even though the next elections are seventeen months away, the slashing, burning and salting of the earth is already underway. Scarcely a month after the conclusion of the last election cycle, a group backing the “Republican” establishment in South Carolina began targeting members of the state’s Freedom Caucus ahead of the 2026 races. These conservative lawmakers were slammed in text ads which compared them to disgraced rap mogul Sean Combs after one of the caucus’ former leaders was implicated in an ongoing federal investigation into child sex abuse materials (a.k.a. “CSAM” or child porn).

Establishment lawmakers have been needling the caucus ever since then, accusing its members of being “pedophile protectors.”

“I think the jury is out on if you have been protecting a pedo,” pro-establishment state representative Brandon Guffey wrote on a social media message to Freedom Caucus member April Cromer this week.

Yeah… and those are just the broadsides being delivered publicly.

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The 2026 election cycle could wind up setting a new standard for political “wet work” in a state where intra-party strife is already surging. In addition to the ongoing battle between conservatives and uniparty “Republicans” within the legislature, statewide races for governor and U.S. Senate are also shaping up as pitched battles.

The Palmetto State’s lax disclosure laws only serve to pour fuel onto these fires…

As I noted in a recent article, the vast majority of elections in South Carolina are won or lost in the “Republican” primary. The GOP controls (nominally, anyway) both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats, six of its seven congressional districts and all of its elected statewide constitutional offices. The GOP also enjoys supermajority status in both chambers of the S.C. General Assembly (where the real power lies).

No Democrat has won a top-of-the-ticket statewide election in the Palmetto State this millennium – and no Democrat has won a statewide election of any kind since 2006 (that official has since switched parties, too). This makes GOP primary elections decisive… and GOP politicians desperate for anything affording them a competitive edge.

And when it comes to gaining such advantages, anything goes…

Creating maximum carnage requires exhaustive preparation, an art referred to in the industry as “opposition research.” This year-round process of collecting, inspecting and dissecting dirt involves careful collation and organization. Its endgame? Exquisitely choreographed bombardments of poll-tested broadsides intended to obliterate a rival’s reservoir of support at the most (or, depending on if you’re the target) least opportune time.

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But there’s another component to the opposition research game which bears consideration…

Sometimes, dirt uncovered on a candidate isn’t intended for the masses – it’s focused on “constituencies of one,” i.e. wives, husbands, parents, friends, business partners or someone else close to the candidate whose life could be adversely impacted were certain information to be revealed.

“Pain at home is worse than public pain,” one veteran operative told me.

And oftentimes, one spills over into the other…

When it comes to discoveries of a more salacious variety, such personal daggers are typically flashed in private… displayed on cell phones discreetly slid across restaurant tables or whispered in hushed tones at dive bars located way off the beaten path. Also, the immediate aim of these intimately expressed intrigues usually isn’t to inflict damage – it’s to threaten damage.

Run for “x,” then “y” will happen…

Over the last few weeks, I’ve spoken with multiple operatives expected to be actively engaged in the 2026 election cycle – especially in the governor’s race, which is shaping up to be a crowded, expensive affair. And a bloody affair.

Less than two weeks ago we got a hint of what could be coming when Nancy Mace, one of the two clear frontrunners for governor, took to social media to issue a blunt warning to her rivals.

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“Everyone is on notice,” Mace wrote. “If you print or speak any defamatory information about me, be prepared to hire a brave lawyer and defend yourself in court. I will no longer stand idly by and be falsely attacked by anyone anymore. We’ve seen what happens when people talk about others with a reckless disregard for the truth. My New Year’s resolution: no one gets away with f***ing with me anymore.”

Mace and S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson are miles ahead of other prospective contenders in the 2026 race, according to polling data shared with this media outlet. Each is expected to enter the contest this spring – backed by broad institutional support, extensive grassroots networks, wealthy donors, massive campaign war chests and skilled operatives ready to slice and dice.

Wilson and Mace are also both regarded as seasoned campaigners who have won many a bare-knuckled GOP primary race (especially Mace).

While conventional wisdom dictates these two frontrunners and their attendant hatchet-wielders will be aiming blows at each other – and there’s some indication that’s already happening – other candidates and groups could conceivably wreak havoc under the radar.

“A race with two lead horses is ripe for mischief,” one seasoned South Carolina strategist told me. “You never know who poisoned the other’s oats.”

In addition to Mace and Wilson, lieutenant governor Pamela Evette is expected to jump into the race – as is former two-term governor Mark Sanford.  State senators Josh Kimbrell and Sean Bennett are also mulling bids, as is former lieutenant governor André Bauer. Upstate businessman John Warren – who nearly knocked off incumbent Henry McMaster in 2018 – could run again, while congressman Ralph Norman‘s name has also been floated as a possible contender.

That list is by no means exhaustive – and it will doubtless continue to evolve over the coming months. Also, it’s expected that at least one credible gubernatorial challenger will ultimately decide against running for that office and choose instead to campaign against longtime incumbent U.S. senator Lindsey Graham.

Thus, the gubernatorial field – while coalescing – remains fluid. And could see unexpected additions.

“There’s always the person nobody knows who jumps in,” another veteran Palmetto State strategist told me. “I don’t know who that is yet – but everybody should be looking for it.”

One thing is clear: Whoever it is should know exactly what they’re jumping into…

“It’s going to be medievally savage,” one ad buyer tracking early gubernatorial donor calls told me. “People are going to get eviscerated, impaled, drawn and quartered… I can’t wait.”

Count on FITSNews to keep our audience in the loop on all the savagery that’s fit to print…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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