South Carolina Gubernatorial Contenders Accused of ‘Dodging Debates’

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by WILL FOLKS

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Six candidates have announced their intention to campaign for South Carolina’s decisive Republican gubernatorial nomination this spring – and four of those candidates have formally filed paperwork to run for the office.

As of this writing, though, only two of them – four-term attorney general Alan Wilson and fifth district congressman Ralph Norman – have committed to appear at the Newberry Opera House in Newberry, S.C. next Wednesday evening (April 1, 2026) for the first of four SCGOP-sponsored candidate debates.

As we reported last week, party rules regarding campaign contributions will preclude Lowcountry, S.C. businessman Rom Reddy – founder of the since-scuttled DOGE SC movement – from participating in the debate. State senator Josh Kimbrell is also unlikely to qualify for the forum given how few people have contributed to his campaign.

Per the rules laid down by the party (.pdf), participating candidates must each raise a minimum of $100,000 from donors, to include at least 250 unique donors contributing a minimum of $50 each.

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Two candidates who have qualified based on those conditions – lieutenant governor Pamela Evette and first district congresswoman Nancy Mace – still have not indicated whether they will participate in the debate.

Evette’s refusal to confirm her participation in an interview with The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier drew a sharp rebuke from Norman’s campaign.

“I learned from the press today that lieutenant governor Evette is saying she won’t show up to the debate next week,” Norman said. “She’s dodging the debate like she dodges questions about the legislative pay increase she funded in the last budget and the DEI sensitivity training for judges and money for climate change she’s funding in this budget. All candidates should debate, but a debate between two candidates should wait until the runoff. If another candidate wants to join Alan and me, I’ll gladly see y’all in Newberry next week.”

Wilson’s campaign did not specify any of his gubernatorial rivals by name, but a statement from one of his top campaign officials made it clear that declining the invitation was tantamount to dereliction of duty.

“This race is a job interview, and the people of South Carolina are the ones doing the hiring,” Wilson deputy campaign manager Claire Brady said in a statement shared with FITSNews. “Every candidate has a responsibility to show up, share their vision, and engage directly with South Carolina families. If candidates don’t show up to the debate stage, what are they hiding? One week from today Attorney General Wilson will take the debate stage, share his plan to make South Carolina affordable for families and profitable for businesses, and talk directly to folks at home who are ready for change.”

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The current dates for the four announced GOP primary debates are as follows:

• April 1 – Newberry, S.C. (Newberry Opera House)
• April 21 – Charleston, S.C. (College of Charleston)
• May 26 – Spartanburg, S.C. (Wofford College)
• June 16 – Conway, S.C. (Coastal Carolina University)

The first three debates are intended to feature all of the GOP candidates, while the final debate would feature the two candidates who advance to a head-to-head runoff election.

For those of you unfamiliar with South Carolina election law, if a candidate fails to receive a majority of votes on the first partisan primary ballot, the top two vote-getters advance to a head-to-head runoff election two weeks later. Accordingly, the final scheduled debate would be a head-to-head exchange between the two top vote-getters in the June 9, 2026 primary election.

Recent polling in this race has shown Wilson and Mace tied at the top of the field with roughly 22% support apiece. Evette is in third place at 16% while Norman clocked in at 11% and Kimbrell at 3%. Worth noting? Those numbers were taken before Norman started his initial advertising blitz – and before Reddy jumped into the race.

The GOP nomination has become a one-way ticket to the governor’s mansion in South Carolina seeing as no Democrat has won this office since 1998 – and the last Democrat to seek it barely eclipsed 40% of the vote in the general election.

Our view on all the debate drama? We believe all candidates who are seeking the GOP nomination should appear on stage… this election is a job interview, and it is disappointing the “Republican” party would seek to limit participation in these debates (just as it is disappointing some candidates who are qualified would seek to find an excuse not to appear).

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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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