Crossroads 2026: Major Money Battle Update

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by WILL FOLKS

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With two months to go before this spring’s pivotal partisan primary elections, South Carolina’s fourth-term attorney general Alan Wilson leads his rivals in the fundraising race for governor of the Palmetto State.

Wilson raised an impressive $1,059,287.69 during the first quarter of 2026, according to documents filed with the S.C. State Ethics Commission (SCSEC), the agency which oversees campaign finance reporting in the Palmetto State. That was the highest total of any candidate in the field – narrowly edging lieutenant governor Pamela Evette, who took in $1,050,019.08 over the same period.

The first quarter covers campaign contributions received (and expenditures made) from January 1, 2026 through March 31, 2026. It is the last full, quarterly campaign finance disclosure cycle prior to the June 9, 2026 primary election – although candidates will file a pre-election campaign finance report with the SCSEC no later than fifteen days (and no earlier than twenty days) prior to the date of the primary.

Evette has narrowly out-raised Wilson over the duration of the campaign – bringing in $3,476,702.51 compared to his $2,895,351.79 – although her total included a $300,000 loan to her campaign. The 58-year-old Ohio native has also dramatically outspent Wilson – plowing $2,545,669.64 into her bid so far (including $1,222,946.63 over the past three months).

This massive cash outlay has not moved the needle for Evette, though… unless of course you’re looking at a poll published by a company she’s paying. She did recently launch a new advertising push, however, so we’ll see if her positioning improves the closer we get to primary day.

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New Ad Alert ???

I've been ALL IN for @realDonaldTrump and @henrymcmaster from Day One.

As Governor, I'll go ALL IN on eliminating the income tax and bringing the American First agenda to South Carolina.

Together, we’ll Keep South Carolina Winning.

??? pic.twitter.com/RwIX9MTvVM

— Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (@PamelaEvette) April 4, 2026

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By contrast, Wilson has spent just $1,090,455.43 since launching his bid – including $601,214.57 during the most recent reporting period. As a result of his careful stewardship, the state’s top prosecutor enjoys a massive cash on hand advantage over Evette – with $1,804,896.36 in the bank (the highest of any candidate in the field) compared to her $931,032.87.

As Wilson and Evette vie aggressively for votes over the next two months, the significance of the former’s cash on hand advantage cannot be understated.

“I’m humbled by the outpouring of support we’ve gotten during this campaign,” Wilson told FITSNews in response to the latest campaign finance numbers. “It’s clear conservatives across the state are resonating with my message to make South Carolina affordable for families and profitable for businesses. We’ll keep pushing until the end.”

Obviously, Wilson and Evette aren’t the only candidates seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Far from it, in fact. First district congresswoman Nancy Mace – who has consistently outpolled Evette (and occasionally outpolled Wilson) – had another steady quarter, bringing in $564,176.16 in new contributions. That boosted her total incoming haul since announcing her candidacy to $2,202,881.72.

Mace spent $627,082.44 during the first quarter, though – and has shelled out $1,403,850.85 since entering the race. That leaves her with just $799,030.87 in the bank as of March 31, 2026. Fortunately for Mace, she has the highest name identification of any candidate in the field, meaning she doesn’t have to spend as much money as her rivals to introduce herself to voters.

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Two other candidates in the Republican race will need to spend significant sums to get their names and messages in front of the GOP electorate – but luckily for them, money would appear to be no object.

Fifth district congressman Ralph Norman – arguably the leading fiscal conservative in the race – reported raising $814,218.06 during the first quarter of 2026. Norman has brought in $3,126,873.87 since becoming a candidate last summer. Of that total, approximately half of it – $1.5 million – has come in the form of personal loans from the candidate.

Norman spent $1,109,025.33 during the first quarter – and has now spent $1,537,218.89 since entering the race. That leaves him with $1,589,654.98 in the bank as of March 31, 2026 (putting him second only to Wilson in terms of available resources).

Will Norman, well-known for his frugality, tap into the money he has loaned himself as his campaign approaches the finish line over the course of the next two months? And just as importantly, will he plow additional resources into his candidacy if necessary?

Speaking of candidates plowing resources into their bids, Lowcountry multimillionaire Rom Reddy dropped a cool $2 million into his campaign account on March 11, 2026 – just five days prior to our exclusive report on his entry into the race. During his first twenty days as a candidate, Reddy spent a whopping $1,419,713.52 – leaving him with $580,286.48 in the bank as of March 31, 2026.

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RELATED | ROM REDDY’S ROI

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Like Norman, Reddy must now decide how much capital he intends to sink into his bid over the coming two months. As this reporter recently noted, campaigning for governor in a state like South Carolina – where the chief executive is constitutionally neutered – is a poor investment compared to the money Reddy was spending on his since-scuttled DOGE SC endeavor.

DOGE SC promised to reshape the Palmetto State’s omnipotent legislative branch into a more pro-citizen, pro-taxpayer entity – or at least it did until Reddy abandoned his former focus and decided to absorb DOGE SC into a costly, Quixotic vanity campaign for an office which wields little power.

Speaking of Quixotic bids, there are also three Democrats running for governor – even though a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006 and hasn’t won a governor’s race since 1998. That means the GOP nominee is all but assured of prevailing in the general election next November.

Nonetheless, wealthy trial lawyer Mullins McLeod dropped $725,609.50 on his candidacy during the first quarter – and has now spent $1,245,447.42 since he entered the race amid a torrent of scandal.

McLeod has $1,228,201.58 in the bank.

Worth noting? McLeod has contributed $2.35 million to his candidacy and raised just $123,649.

Another multimillionaire Democrat – former Clinton administration official and Upstate payday lending executive Billy Webster – recently announced his candidacy, but as of his first filing Webster has yet to significantly contribute to his campaign.

Meanwhile, state representative Jermaine Johnson has just under $100,000 in the bank as he continues his quest for the Democrat nomination despite efforts by some party insiders to force him from the field.

As we noted in covering the last round of campaign finance reports in January, these filings represent only those campaign finance reports linked to the official committee organizations of each candidate. There are multiple political action committees spending even bigger bucks in support of – or opposition to – different candidates.

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THE NUMBERS…

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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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