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by MARK POWELL
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South Carolina politics can turn on a dime. That’s never truer than during the chaotic two-week runoff period following a state primary election.
In the Palmetto State, if no candidate wins a majority of votes on the initial primary ballot – the top two vote-getters square off mano a mano in a runoff election two weeks later. The fourteen days between polls closing in the primary – and reopening for the runoff – is the political equivalent of a thunder dome.
Everything you think you know can implode in an instant… with conventional wisdom often getting swept away like oceanfront homes in a category five hurricane.
On Thursday, our founding editor Will Folks reported that fifth district congressman Ralph Norman – who finished third in last Tuesday’s voting for the Republican gubernatorial nomination – would likely sit out the next round. Folks’ sources – widely regarded as the best in the business – indicated Norman was disinclined to endorse either first-place finisher Pamela Evette, the state’s lieutenant governor, or four-term attorney general Alan Wilson, who finished a close second in Tuesday’s voting.
“He was licking his wounds and picking up his yard signs,” a source close to Norman’s campaign told us, noting the 72-year-old Rock Hill native was literally spotted on the side of the road taking down his signs in the hours immediately following the election.
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But what was true on Thursday may have changed over the weekend. While there’s been no comment or confirmation from his former campaign organization – or from Norman himself – the Freedom Caucus stalwart is reportedly planning to address reporters this coming Monday afternoon (June 15, 2026) in his hometown in York County.
York is one of five counties carried by Norman in the primary, along with Cherokee, Chester, Greenville and Union.
While the specifics of Norman’s announcement – including whether he plans on reversing course and endorsing a candidate in the runoff – don’t appear to have been shared with anyone, the timing is telling.
“No one seems to have a read on what he’s doing,” a Palmetto politico who worked on a rival campaign during the primary told us. “Which is par for the course when it comes to Ralph.”
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If Norman does decide to reverse course and endorse one of the two GOP finalists – it could be decisive. Evette and Wilson are scheduled to square off in their only debate next Tuesday evening (June 16, 2026) in Conway – the day after Norman’s press event. The two-day early voting window is also opening shortly thereafter – next Wednesday and Thursday (June 17-18, 2026) – with the runoff itself following on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Bottom line? If Evette and/or Wilson is going to make a play for Norman’s backing, there is literally no time to lose.
Multiple sources have confirmed to FITSNews that both camps have made consistent and strong overtures to Norman since Tuesday night in hopes of securing his endorsement. There’s a good reason for that: if Norman’s 80,790 supporters (who constituted 17.1% of the primary electorate) actually show up and vote in the runoff, it could be a decisive factor in determining the winner.
Likewise, if they sit out the runoff round – that could also be highly important.
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RELATED | RUNOFF POLLING
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“To put it in teenage terms, Norman is the homecoming queen, and the high school’s two most popular jocks are competing to be her date to the prom,” one Palmetto political wag told us. “The advantage is totally in Norman’s court.”
For Norman’s part, if he doesn’t endorse, he’s in danger of his base of support leaving the station without him. Several prominent members of the S.C. Freedom Caucus – to whom Norman is a political patriarch of sorts – are already backing Wilson. They include state representatives Joe White, Jackie Terribile and Jay Kilmartin.
Also, Norman’s former campaign manager – S.C. Freedom Caucus advisor Evan Newman – did not mince words in responding to a recent social media post from Evette’s campaign.
According to Newman, the lieutenant governor “stood idly by while $1.3 billion was given to an electric car manufacturer, said nothing while the state was shut down during Covid, and has been silent while budgets pass that funded woke nonsense.”
“Your track record speaks for itself and it ain’t pretty,” Newman wrote.
How are those for tea leaves?
There are two final ironies to consider in the situation. First, based on the results of last Tuesday’s voting, it’s distinctly possible that Norman might have edged out Wilson and been in the runoff himself had political gadfly Rom Reddy not entered the race, thus fracturing the vote on the party’s right flank.
Finally, from the minute Evette jumped into the contest, she banked on president Donald Trump’s support to carry her to victory. And indeed, Trump did bestow his coveted endorsement on her candidacy eleven days before the primary. But rehashing that endorsement message is rapidly growing stale to many Palmetto Republicans.
“It’s incredible to think that after everything, Ralph Norman’s endorsement may matter more now than Donald Trump’s,” one Palmetto political veteran shared with us.
Evette received 136,390 votes (or 28.9% of ballots cast) compared to 123,559 votes (or 26.1% of ballots cast) for Wilson in the first round of voting. Wilson has already received endorsements from two of his former rivals, however – with Reddy declining to endorse either. The winner of the GOP runoff will face Democrat Jermaine Johnson in the fall. For the past three decades, the GOP nomination has been decisive, with no Democrat prevailing in a top-of-the-ticket race in South Carolina since 1998.
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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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1 comment
“Evette received 136,390 votes (or 28.9% of ballots cast) compared to 123,559 votes (or 26.1% of ballots cast) for Wilson in the first round of voting. Wilson has already received endorsements from two of his former rivals, however – with Reddy declining to endorse either.”
Violation of the grammatical rule of the last antecedent aside, the Alan Wilson supporter that Mark Powell clearly is fails to name the “two of [Wilson’s] former rivals” who threw themselves at Wilson’s feet because those two former rivals have POSSIBLE criminal exposure and, regardless of the run-off result and barring unforeseen events, Wilson remains SCAG for just under seven more months.
Josh last-name-already-forgotten is not worth analyzing because he has no votes to transfer on command of his voters to either Evette or Wilson.
But Nancy Mace and whatever women’s vote she can transfer on command are worth a look backward in anger.
In today’s news, Will Folks touts the effects of endorsements: “Wilson’s advantage stood at 9.4% on the head-to-head ballot – and climbed to 10.8% when voters were informed he had received the endorsement of his erstwhile bitterest rival, first district congresswoman Nancy Mace.”
“climbed”?
The difference between 10.8% and 9.4% is ONLY 1.4%. That is NOT a “climb,” but a shrug, a waffle, a shiver, a drunken shuffle within the margin of error.
And Nancy Mace?
“Nancy Mace
“@NancyMace
Christian. Citadel Grad. Fmr Waffle House Waitress. Member US House. Just got my ass kicked in Governors race. ??
Charleston, SC nancymace.org Joined October 2017{.} 5,178 Following[.] 544.1K Followers”
“Christian”?
My Coptic Orthodox Church just commemorated the 21 martyrs who LITERALLY had their heads cut off by Libyan Islamists for refusing to renounce the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.
I consider Nancy Mace’s use of the name of Christ, not only hypocrisy but blasphemy.
What is “Christian” about Nancy Mace?
As far as I can tell, everything about Nancy Mace is ANTI-Christian: her un-self-aware dangerous drunkenness, her co-habitation without benefit of clergy, her love of money which is the root of all evils, her hatred of the man who loved her and planned to marry her (and apparently of all men), her foul language and fits of rage, and WORST OF ALL her bearing FALSE witness against her neighbor AND recruiting others to do so.
Just listen to her call to Ali Berg, obtained by FITSNews as real journalistic coup and scoop.
That call has PROBABLE evidence of several crimes.
Alan Wilson’s happy acceptance of the Anti-Christian Nancy Mace’s endorsement shows that Alan Wilson prosecutes the innocent and coddles the guilty all for money and votes.
But what is Pam Evette waiting for? Rom Reddy is the natural lieutenant governor choice for her; but it is now or never if she wants to open a dialogue with him and welcome his ideas for government reform.
And what is left of Alan Wilson’s support once voters learn the truth about him, he can take towards his campaign to inherit his adoptive father’s seat in Congress when Joe Wilson realizes the stroke he suffered (genuine prayers for speedy recovery Joe) is incompatible with indefinite service in Congress.