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by WILL FOLKS
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A new survey conducted by a Beltway-based pollster showed South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson and first district congresswoman Nancy Mace leading the early race for governor of the Palmetto State in 2026.
Wilson was backed by 22.6% of likely GOP primary voters with Mace drawing the support of 17.3%, according to the new poll, conducted last week by Alexandria, Virginia-based American Pulse. Those numbers are very similar to polling released from another firm several months ago which showed Wilson at 20.8% and Mace at 16.3%.
Well behind Mace and Wilson in the newest poll were fifth district congressman Ralph Norman (9.3%) and lieutenant governor Pamela Evette (8.4%). State senator Josh Kimbrell was backed by just 1.7% while another 9.1% indicated they were supporting another candidate.
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Our @TheWillFolks on the latest #Crossroads2026 South Carolina governor’s polling from ?@AmericanPulseUS?… pic.twitter.com/3dx8PBN95q
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) July 22, 2025
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Wilson, Kimbrell and Evette have all announced their candidacies. Norman is expected to enter the race this coming Sunday (July 27, 2025). Mace has yet to set a date for her announcement, but has made clear she intends to seek the governorship.
The most common response on the survey? “Not sure/don’t know.” Nearly a third of all likely GOP voters – 31.7% – answered thusly.
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Perhaps not surprisingly, candidates fared best in their back yards – with Wilson drawing 38.5% in the second congressional district, which is currently represented by his father, Joe Wilson. Similarly, Norman was backed by 31.4% of respondents in his home district.
Mace, curiously, fared better among GOP voters in the sixth and seventh congressional districts than she did in her own district – where Wilson edged her by a 2.6% margin.
Not surprisingly, Wilson’s campaign was buoyed by the results.
“Many South Carolina Republicans already know that Alan Wilson is a battle-tested conservative who has delivered real results for our families,” Wilson’s deputy campaign manager Claire Brady said. “He’s a combat veteran, endorsed by 22 sheriffs, and stood with President Trump when few others did in 2020. We look forward to the next few months as he shares his positive vision to protect our families and our values. Nobody works harder than Alan Wilson.”
American Pulse surveyed 570 likely primary voters between July 16-19, 2025. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.1%.
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CASINO QUESTION…
One item of interest in survey was a question about support for “casino-style gambling” in South Carolina – a topic FITSNews has covered extensively in recent months. According to the poll, 59.2% were supportive of casinos if they “were restricted to designated zones and the tax revenues were mandated to support programs such as schools and roads.”
Only 35.2% of the GOP primary electorate opposed casinos.
Of particular interest? More GOP primary voters strongly supported casino-style gambling (28.4%) than strongly opposed it (23.4%) – signifying voter intensity is now on the side of gaming supporters.
That’s consistent with previous polling supporting the advancement of casinos in the Palmetto State…
Similarly, 52% supported “legalized sports betting” under the same circumstances – in which tax revenues were directed to “programs like schools and roads.”
“South Carolina GOP voters are signaling openness to gaming, provided it serves a public benefit,” the pollsters noted.
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RISE OF THE INFLUENCERS…
Another nugget of note in the American Pulse poll was a question addressing the number of likely South Carolina primary voters who are receiving their news from alternative, non-conventional sources.
Per the survey, 51.6% of likely GOP gubernatorial voters “get their news from podcasts or online influencers” at least once per week. Almost as many – 43.9% – said they received their news from these sources “multiple times a week.”
The rise of these new media platforms was most prevalent among those GOP voters who described themselves as “definitely” or “mostly” MAGA – and was most pronounced in the Midlands region of the state.
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THE POLL…
(American Pulse)
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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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1 comment
Bullshit!