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by MARK POWELL
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For more than two hours on Thursday evening (April 9, 2026), the Palmetto State’s political spotlight shone on the Pee Dee. Five of the six main Republican candidates for governor of South Carolina sat down on a stage in Francis Marion University’s Performing Arts Center in Florence to explain why they want the job.
It was the feature attraction of congressman Russell Fry’s gubernatorial forum – and what it lacked in verbal fireworks, it made up for in candor and comedy.
Unlike last week’s party-sanctioned gathering in Newberry, S.C., this wasn’t a debate. The five contenders didn’t stand side by side and get peppered with questions from a panel of reporters.
Instead, this event was an intimate get-acquainted session with the would-be governors – who appeared on stage alongside Fry, one by one, exactly sixty days before the June 9, 2026 primary election.
“South Carolina has not had a new governor in 10 years and a truly open seat for governor in 16 years,” Fry told FITSNews beforehand. “In an area of South Carolina that has the most pro-Trump electorate and is increasingly relevant in statewide politics, the citizens of the Grand Strand and Pee Dee want to hear directly from the next governor his or her conservative vision for our future. This forum provides that opportunity.”
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And so, lieutenant governor Pamela Evette, state senator Josh Kimbrell, congresswoman Nancy Mace, congressman Ralph Norman, and attorney general Alan Wilson made the trek to Florence to speak with Fry for their allotted thirty minutes apiece.
Failing to appear for the second straight week alongside his rivals was Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy, who once again insisted he was otherwise disposed.
The format had the casual, relaxed feel of a television talk show with Fry as the host. His affable personality (and a generous sprinkling of his amusingly cheesy Donald Trump imitation) helped take the partisan edge off while also providing a lighter mood than the debate atmosphere.
There were no new proposals or campaign promises, nor were there any major gaffes or stumbles. The evening was surprisingly free of rancorous attacks on opponents and displayed a civility often missing from political discourse these days.
However, there was much common ground. All five love Trump (and happily admitted they would love to have his endorsement), they all want to see the state income eliminated (though they would go about it in different ways), they all agree South Carolina’s roads are deplorable, and each has a favorite type of barbecue sauce (posed as a parting question).
Here’s a Cliff Notes recap of each presentation, asked in the order of appearance, which Fry explained was determined by an online selection feature beforehand.
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JOSH KIMBRELL
Relaxed and apparently enjoying himself despite polling that consistently shows him mired at the back of the pack, Kimbrell displayed a touch of wonkishness as he discussed several legislative policy issues, including his push to temporarily suspend the state gasoline tax during the conflict with Iran. He was probably relieved to be discussing anything besides the myriad legal issues currently confronting him.
What he wants voters to know about him: Legislative expertise
Best line of the night: “If you’re not from South Carolina originally and you came here because you love our values and you’re here tonight for a Republican event, welcome. If you’re not, please leave. I’ll buy you a ticket!”
Barbecue sauce of choice: Mustard-based
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ALAN WILSON
A frontrunner in the race, he arguably covered more issues than anyone else. Wilson drew particular attention to his record of supporting traditional values in multiple high-profile lawsuits and to his personal support for Trump, including sitting in the chamber during the latter’s criminal trial. He also made it clear he wants to be a unifying governor who brings together sparring factions to work for the greater good. But do those factions even want to be brought together?
What he wants voters to know about him: Courtroom warrior
Best line of the night: “We have been in the trenches fighting for and defending President Trump and his agenda, and that’s the kind of governor I’m going to be when it comes to supporting the president.”
Barbecue sauce of choice: Mustard-based
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NANCY MACE
It was an entirely different Nancy Mace who sat down beside Fry than the image voters have seen of her in recent months. Yes, the combative feistiness was still there. But this time it was measured, deliberate, and emotionally even-keeled. (Leading one political consultant in D.C. to rhetorically ask, “Where has she been hiding this Nancy Mace for the past year?”) Make no mistake, Mace made it clear she’s still ready to rumble for the things she believes in. But Thursday night, she came off sounding like a prize fighter instead of a street brawler.
What she wants voters to know about her: Scrappy fighter
Best line of the night: “We gotta get rid of all the other languages when you’re getting your driver’s license. Because apparently, we have four languages (on driving tests). We only need English. You should be able to read in English if you’re going to be driving on our roads.”
Barbecue sauce of choice: Ketchup-based
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PAMELA EVETTE
The state’s executive spare tire, if you will, wants us to know she’s a businesswoman who loves accounting, Henry McMaster, and Donald Trump. Though not necessarily in that order. She speaks with the authority of the boardroom and sounds very much like the person in charge. She also displayed a speaking technique Hillary Clinton used when campaigning below the Mason-Dixie Line: occasionally dropping the G at the end of some words, as in “representin’ us” and “makin’ the rules,” etc. (Although in Evette’s case, it comes and goes like the signal from a distant AM station on a car radio.)
What she wants voters to know about her: Savvy businesswoman
Best line of the night: “If we really want to root out waste, fraud, and abuse, then we need to bring technology into the platform.”
Barbecue sauce of choice: Ketchup-based
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RALPH NORMAN
Nobody has ever accused Norman of employing the lofty rhetoric of a Winston Churchill. But on Thursday night, he showed the political shrewdness of a Strom Thurmond. Because his answers were carefully crafted to strike a chord with the Republican base. And he drove them home again and again. Currently trailing in the polls, is that populist appeal enough to propel Norman as a dark horse coming up on the outside of the track?
What he wants voters to know about him: Conservative record
Best line of the night: “I’ve been traveling these backroads since I announced (for governor). You need a back brace, a neck brace, and a knee brace. Some of the potholes you can fish in. It’ll bury some cars. There’s no excuse for that.”
Barbecue sauce of choice: Vinegar-based
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The candidates are scheduled to meet next on a debate stage on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the College of Charleston.
Reddy has committed to participating the next time the entire field gathers together, although Evette’s participation remains up in the air.
“That’s going to be quite a show,” a veteran South Carolina strategist unaffiliated with any of the campaigns told us. “The candidates were all on their best behavior in Newberry last week and in Florence again tonight. But it’ll be a different story in Charleston in two weeks. That’s when the gloves will start coming off. At that point, with only six weeks remaining till June 9, they can’t afford to be Mr. or Mrs. Nice Guy any longer.”
“They won’t be talking about barbecue sauce on that stage, I can assure you!” the strategist added.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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