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by WILL FOLKS
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Early indications point to U.S. congressman Ralph Norman – the most visible Freedom Caucus leader in South Carolina – staying out of the Republican runoff for governor, but his supporters seem to be making their preference in the head-to-head battle abundantly clear.
Norman received 80,790 votes – or 17.1% of all ballots cast – in Tuesday’s election, putting him in third place behind lieutenant governor Pamela Evette (28.9%) and attorney general Alan Wilson (26.1%). Because neither Evette nor Wilson won a majority of votes, they have advanced to a mano a mano runoff on June 23, 2026.
In addition to receiving the backing of virtually every member of the S.C. Freedom Caucus, Norman was endorsed by former U.S. senator Jim DeMint and former S.C. governor Nikki Haley. Additionally, he won five staunchly GOP counties – including a narrow victory in vote-rich Greenville.
Norman’s supporters are now faced with the following three choices: they can support Wilson, they can support Evette… or they can stay home. How they answer that question will determine who becomes the next governor of the Palmetto State.
On Friday morning (June 12, 2026), one of the first key indicators dropped…
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State representative Joe White – one of the leaders of the S.C. Freedom Caucus and an early Norman supporter – announced he was endorsing Wilson.
Since his election in 2022, White has been an outspoken advocate for long-overdue reform of the Palmetto State’s broken, corrupt judiciary – and its mismanaged and inefficient Department of Transportation (SCDOT).
“I supported Ralph because I believe our state desperately needs a governor who understands that fixing our broken infrastructure is not optional anymore,” White wrote. “Our roads, bridges, and transportation systems affect the safety, quality of life, and economic future of every family in South Carolina.”
On judicial reform, White said the choice between the two candidates was clear – citing Wilson’s consistent advocacy on behalf of a more independent judiciary.
“Alan Wilson has been a strong advocate for judicial reform in South Carolina,” White wrote. “For more than two years, he and I have been in agreement about the urgent need to reform the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and restore public confidence in our judicial system. South Carolinians deserve a judicial selection process that is independent, transparent, and trusted by the people — not controlled by lawyer-legislators behind closed doors.”
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RELATED | PAMELA EVETTE BLASTS ALAN WILSON
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White did not mention Evette by name, but his endorsement indirectly criticized the policies of her mentor – governor Henry McMaster.
“I have a great fear that if South Carolina continues down the same path we have been on for the last eight years, our culture, our traditions, and our way of life may not even be recognizable eight years from now,” he said. “Growth without wisdom, planning, and accountability can permanently change the character of our state.”
“South Carolina needs a governor who will fight for infrastructure reform, judicial reform, government accountability, and the preservation of the values that made our state special in the first place,” White concluded.
Sources close to the Wilson campaign indicated several additional Freedom Caucus endorsements were in the works over the coming days.
Wilson and Evette are scheduled to debate next Tuesday (June 16, 2026) in Conway, S.C. with early voting set to start the following day. Early voting will run from June 17-18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT. The runoff election is set for Tuesday June 23, 2026, with the winner advancing to face Democrat Jermaine Johnson in the general election in November.
For the past three decades, the GOP nomination has been decisive. No Democrat has won a top-of-the-ticket race in South Carolina since 1998.
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UPDATE |
Another Freedom Caucus leader backs Wilson…
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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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