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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson stormed to the Republican gubernatorial nomination on Tuesday evening, completing one of the most impressive, improbable political victories the Palmetto State has ever seen.
Wilson obliterated former first-place finisher Pamela Evette in their head-to-head runoff race, drawing the support of 218,321 voters (or 68.56% of all ballots cast). That compared to 100,123 votes (or 31.44% of ballots cast) for the lieutenant governor.
Wilson’s staggering 37.12% margin of victory was the most decisive gubernatorial runoff win in modern South Carolina political history – and it was never in doubt. In fact, the race was called by the Associated Press at 7:29 p.m. EDT – less than half an hour after polls closed.
“I’m going to fight for your family as hard as I fight for my family,” an ebullient Wilson said upon taking the stage at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday evening (June 23, 2026). “I aspire not to be a transitional governor, but a transformational governor.”
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Wilson thanked all of his former rivals in his address – all but one of whom endorsed his candidacy.
Then, he thanked Evette.
“She is not my enemy, her supporters are not my enemies – they are our kinsmen,” Wilson said. “They are our fellow citizens.”
Evette called Wilson to congratulate him on his resounding victory – and pledged to support his candidacy in the upcoming general election. While it was reportedly a short call, Evette made it clear in her concession that she would do everything within her power to help get Wilson elected in the fall against Democrat Jermaine Johnson.
“I called Alan Wilson to congratulate him on his win and to tell him that he has my support as our party’s nominee,” Evette said. “I ask you to join me in doing everything to ensure a win in November.”
“As this primary election season comes to a close, please know that while I may not have the honor of being the next Governor of this great state, I will always be committed to helping create a brighter future for South Carolina and its people,” Evette added. “God bless.”
While unity was on the tip of every tongue, the fact remains Wilson’s win was a seismic repudiation of term-limited, status quo governor Henry McMaster – who endorsed Evette and was instrumental in securing the endorsement of president Donald Trump for her campaign. McMaster’s machinations, which were intended to gift the governor’s mansion to his second-in-command, ended in disaster for Evette. As for Trump, he eventually saw the writing on the wall and wound up hedging his bet – endorsing both Evette and Wilson just four days before the runoff.
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RELATED | RUNOFF LIVE FEED
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Wilson’s win came less than a month after Evette received Turmp’s initial imprimatur – and two weeks after she narrowly bested Wilson in the initial round of voting.
Wilson’s odds of winning after Trump endorsed Evette on May 29, 2026 were less than four percent… but he never wavered, continuing to hammer his message of affordability and picking up the support of nearly every single one of his former primary opponents, most notably U.S. congressman Ralph Norman.
In his victory address, Wilson touted affordability as his top priority – and took direct aim at the Palmetto State’s failed crony capitalist approaches to economic development.
“The era of bad corporate deals that cost taxpayers billions of dollars is over,” Wilson said defiantly.
Let’s hope he’s as good as his word on that promise – as well as his vow to eliminate the Palmetto State’s onerous income tax, something the state legislature has done little to address.
Lopsided runoff elections are nothing new in South Carolina. In 2010, Nikki Haley won the GOP gubernatorial nomination with 233,733 votes – or 65.1% of all ballots cast, defeating former U.S. congressman Gresham Barrett (who received 125,601 votes, or 34.9% of all ballots cast).
Eight years earlier, Mark Sanford prevailed in a runoff over lieutenant governor Bob Peeler, drawing 183,820 votes (60.1%) compared to Peeler’s 121,881 (39.9%).
But no win was quite as compelling as Wilson’s – especially given the odds he overcame in order to secure it.
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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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5 comments
Hey, Trump’s pick beat Trump’s pick…hahaha
Maybe now Trafalgar can be relegated to the ash heap of shit pollsters where it has always belonged? Although it was worth it for Trump to have been suckered by it.
All hail Governor-to-be Combover
Wow, I underestimated how unlikable Evette really is.
I hope Alan Wilson will be a transformative Governor. Maybe this giant show of support will let him know we have his back to do bold things.
LOL, a Trump bootlicker is going to be transformative. Republicans have been in charge of this state for decades, and every year, things get worse for the average South Carolina citizen. But people let their hate compel them to vote for people who repeatedly hurt them, because those people promise to go after the people they hate. They just can’t understand how duped and manipulated they have been by a President and Republican party who don’t give a SH%@ about them. They probably will when the GOP guts their social security and Medicare, but by then, it will be too late. Trump and his minions will have bankrupted the country, just like every other business he has been involved in.
Another worthless career politician just like ole Joe. Voters STOP electing these people. They wont work for us.