Crossroads 2026: S.C. Governor’s Debate Drama Poised to Escalate

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by WILL FOLKS

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There’s already been significant drama amongst South Carolina’s announced Republican gubernatorial candidates regarding the upcoming 2026 GOP debate schedule. One of the current frontrunners – lieutenant governor Pamela Evette – has gone so far as to openly accuse the SCGOP, which is sponsoring the forums, of attempting to shake down candidates for money.

“It’s a shakedown plain and simple,” Evette’s top strategist, Chris Grant, wrote on X last month – criticizing a requirement for candidates to purchase $20,000 sponsorships if they wished to receive tickets for their supporters.

These are the current dates of the four announced GOP primary debates:

• April 1 – Newberry, S.C. (Newberry Opera House)
• April 21 – Charleston, S.C. (College of Charleston)
• May 26 – Spartanburg, S.C. (Wofford College)
• June 16 – Conway, S.C. (Coastal Carolina University)

For those of you unfamiliar with South Carolina election law, if a candidate fails to receive a majority of votes on the first partisan primary ballot, the top two vote-getters advance to a head-to-head runoff election two weeks later. Accordingly, the final scheduled debate would be a head-to-head exchange between the two top vote-getters in the June 9 primary election.

As the calendar advances, other debate rules could become problematic for certain candidates.

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For example, the not-so-surprising entry of Lowcountry, S.C. businessman Rom Reddy into the race has raised questions about the party’s preordained debate qualifications – one of which involves candidates attaining certain fundraising thresholds.

Per the rules (.pdf), participating candidates must raise a minimum of $100,000 from donors, to include at least 250 unique donors contributing a minimum of $50 each.

Why is that an issue for Reddy? In announcing his bid earlier this week, the Isle of Palms, S.C. businessman – who founded the erstwhile DOGE SC movement – made it abundantly clear he was not accepting campaign contributions.

“How will Rom debate if he doesn’t take donations?” Stacy Shea, an Upstate conservative activist, wondered.

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Per the SCGOP’s own rules for the debates, to qualify you must have raised 100k from 250 unique donors. How will Rom debate if he doesn’t take donations? #scpol

— StacyShea (@TheStacyShea) March 18, 2026

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A pretty cut and dried question… for which Reddy’s campaign had a similarly cut and dried answer.

“He won’t,” a statement on X noted.

Reddy followed that comment up with a lengthy Facebook post calling his opponents were “clowns” and saying he was taking his message “directly to the people of South Carolina.”

“If the other candidates want to get together around a table and talk about the big issues impacting our state, with actual time to talk about real solutions and in front of a camera, I’m all in,” Reddy said. “But I’m not going to be participating in some made for TV game with the ruling class. The clowns can have their circus.”

There’s a polling threshold to consider, too. Those aspiring to be on the stage at each debate must receive the support of at least 2% of likely GOP primary voters in an “average of statewide polls” taken 72 hours prior to each scheduled event. While that number is unlikely to be an issue for Reddy given the $1 million he plans on dropping into his nascent candidacy over the next two weeks, it could present problems for S.C. senator Josh Kimbrell, who has consistently polled in the 1-3% range.

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Candidates who participate in the debates must also pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee – and attend a “unity” event at the conclusion of partisan primary elections.

Recent polling has shown four-term attorney general Alan Wilson and first district congresswoman Nancy Mace at the top of the Republican gubernatorial field with approximately 22% support apiece. Evette is in third place at 16%, fifth district congressman Ralph Norman was in fourth place with 11% and Kimbrell was bringing up the rear with the support of just 3% of respondents.

Reddy has yet to be polled in any statewide surveys given that his candidacy is scarcely 48 hours old.

As noted, in the event no candidate wins a majority of votes on the first ballot – which is exceedingly likely in this race – a head-to-head runoff between the top two vote-getters would be held two weeks later (on June 23, 2026). As noted, the GOP primary is the race to watch in South Carolina, as Democrats haven’t won a gubernatorial election since 1998 – and haven’t won a statewide election since 2006.

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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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