Crossroads 2026: Nancy Mace, Alan Wilson Leading S.C. Governor’s Race

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by WILL FOLKS

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Another early 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial poll has the same two names at the top of the field – a sign that the first phase of the race to replace status quo lame duck Henry McMaster is solidifying.

The latest poll – commissioned by the S.C. Policy Council (SCPC) – found first district congresswoman Nancy Mace narrowly leading the race for the Palmetto State governor’s mansion, followed closely by four-term attorney general Alan Wilson. In the SCPC survey, Mace was backed by 16% of likely GOP primary voters while Wilson drew the support of 15% – flipping the script on another poll released just last week.

Lieutenant governor Pamela Evette came in third with the support of 8% of respondents, while fifth district congressman Ralph Norman came in fourth at 6%. Embattled S.C. senator Josh Kimbrell was fifth at 3% – his best showing on any public poll.

Worth considering? Of the aforementioned field, Mace is the only one who has yet to formally announce her candidacy – something her spokeswoman pointed out in responding to the results of the survey.

“Pedophile protector Alan Wilson has been campaigning for a solid month, raised $10,000 and is still behind congresswoman Nancy Mace who hasn’t even declared her candidacy yet,” Mace’s communications director Sydney Long said in a statement provided to FITSNews. “That speaks volumes.”

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Wilson’s campaign didn’t take the bait, choosing instead to focus on the support his campaign is receiving from the Palmetto State’s law enforcement community.

“Families across South Carolina like what they’re hearing from Alan Wilson,” Wilson’s deputy campaign manager Claire Brady said. “He’s a conservative with a proven record and that’s why 22 sheriffs have endorsed his campaign, including every single sheriff in the Lowcountry.”

Of interest? A majority of likely GOP primary voters in this sample (52%) say they have not decided on a candidate to support.

SCPC’s poll also asked Democrats their 2026 preference, with a whopping 83% indicating they were undecided. State senator Jeffrey Graham and state representative Jermaine Johnson each drew the backing of 5% of respondents, while state senator Russell Ott, former representative Mandy Powers Norrell and state senator Ed Sutton each received 2% support.

“Both races are wide open,” an SCPC release accompanying the poll noted. “The majority of South Carolina voters on both sides of the isle are still undecided.

With the exception of the occasional criminal drama, few are following the Democrat primary because of the party’s historic irrelevance at the statewide level. After running the Palmetto State for decades in the nineteenth century, Democrats haven’t won a statewide election since 2006 – and haven’t won a top-of-the-ticket race (governor or U.S. Senate) since 1998.

That means the race to follow (for the foreseeable future) is the Republican primary election.

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In addition to polling the governor’s race, SCPC asked GOP primary voters whether an endorsement from Donald Trump – who reportedly has “no plans” to back a candidate – would sway their decision. A majority of respondents (54%) said Trump’s imprimatur would make the “more likely” to vote for a candidate – including 31% who said it would make them “much more likely” to do so. Conversely, 35% said a Trump endorsement would have “no impact” on their decision.

On tax policy, an overwhelming majority of South Carolina voters – 73% – said they supported eliminating state income taxes, compared to just 17% who opposed. An even greater number of respondents – 76% – said they supported using budget surpluses to “provide property tax relief for South Carolina homeowners and businesses.”

“States across the country are slashing taxes, and voters want to see South Carolina follow suit,”

Meanwhile, on the spending side of the ledger, 68% of respondents backed the idea of limiting government growth “to the rate of population growth plus inflation” – a long-overdue idea SCPC has been promoting for years.

The SCPC survey also showed tremendous support for the creation of “a state-level DOGE program to review and reduce inefficient state spending, streamline agencies and modernize technology.”

A whopping 68% of all voters supported such an entity, including 42% who strongly supported it. Conversely, only 24% opposed the creation of a DOGE SC.

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RELATED | ROM REDDY BLASTS POLITICIAN-LED DOGE COMMISSIONS

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Those numbers have to be music to the ears of Rom Reddy, founder of the DOGE SC movement.

For those of you unfamiliar with SCPC, the organization touts itself as “a leader in tax reduction and reform, private property rights, education reform, judicial reform, government deregulation, transparency and governmental accountability, and efforts to expand individual liberty.” The organization has been aggressive in promoting these views over the years – even if that meant running afoul of increasingly left-leaning “Republican” lawmakers.

Targoz conducted the survey for SCPC, surveying 1,200 registered voters during the week of July 21-25, 2025. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 2.77%. 

The same group conducted similar polling for SCPC back in February.

To view the results of this survey for yourself, click on the link below. Also, count on FITSNews to keep our audience up to speed on the latest developments in the governor’s race via our Crossroads 2026 coverage.

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THE POLL…

(SCPC)

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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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