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by WILL FOLKS
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The controversial endorsement of South Carolina lieutenant governor Pamela Evette by president Donald Trump has shaken up the Palmetto State’s 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary at its most pivotal juncture.
Albeit not entirely how Evette had hoped…
While we await the fallout from Trump’s dubiously bestowed imprimatur, it’s worth recapping the state of the race at the moment it was bestowed. According to a new survey conducted late last week by McLaughlin & Associates, the GOP primary remains a five-candidate dogfight – although two clear frontrunners have emerged.
One of them – S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson – has been ensconced at the head of the pack for the better part of the past two years. The other – Lowcountry multimillionaire Rom Reddy – has bought his way to the top thanks to a staggering $5.6 million worth of advertising purchased over the past two months.
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According to the McLaughlin survey (.pdf), Wilson led the GOP field with the support of 21.3% of likely primary voters – putting him narrowly ahead of Reddy, who was backed by 20.1% of respondents. That’s a stunning surge for Reddy – who was mired in single digits as recently as two weeks ago.
Trailing Reddy was fifth district congressman Ralph Norman, who was backed by 17.4% of respondents, first district congresswoman Nancy Mace (13.7%), lieutenant governor Evette (13.4%) and state senator Josh Kimbrell (1.6%).
One out of eight primary voters – or 12.5% of the GOP electorate – was described by pollsters as “firmly undecided,” although the survey calculated another 5% of the “decided” field as merely “leaning” toward their preferred candidate. A much larger percentage of ostensible “decided” electorate – 38.3% – said they were “probably” voting for their stated choice compared to 44.2% who indicated they were “definitely” voting for the candidate they named.
Among those with the most “definite” supporters, Wilson (11.7%) and Reddy (11.1%) were also ahead of the field – with Norman (7.9%), Mace (7%) and Evette (6.3%) behind them.
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RELATED | IS EVETTE’S TRUMP ENDORSEMENT IMPLODING?
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Were these numbers to hold through 7:00 p.m. EDT on June 9, 2026 – when polls close on the first round of partisan primary voting – Wilson and Reddy would find themselves advancing to a head-to-head runoff election on June 23, 2026.
But ten days are an eternity in South Carolina politics… meaning anything can happen.
While Reddy is the candidate on the move, there is some indication his numbers could be approaching a ceiling. In assessing the favorability of each candidate, McLaughlin’s pollsters found 25.9% of likely voters already had a negative impression of him – a tremendously high percentage for a first-time candidate.
By comparison, Wilson – who has served as the Palmetto State’s top prosecutor for the past sixteen years – had an unfavorable rating of 25.8%, marginally smaller than Reddy’s rating. Meanwhile, 49.1% of respondents had a favorable view of Wilson compared to 36.4% who viewed Reddy favorably.
McLaughlin & Associates surveyed 600 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters between May 26-28, 2026. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4%. Needless to say we will be keeping close tabs on developments in this race as it moves toward its first day of decision…
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THE POLL…
(McLaughlin & Associates)
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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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