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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, enjoying a 68.56% to 31.44% margin of victory at last count. That’s the most decisive runoff victory in a gubernatorial race in modern political history. He will face Democrat Jermaine Johnson in the general election on November 3, 2026.
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 – including 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 to pledge her support to his candidacy in the upcoming general election.
“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 though – and Trump eventually saw the writing on the wall and wound up hedging his bet, endorsing both Evette and Wilson in 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? Less than four percent…
In his victory address, Wilson touted affordability as his top priority – and took direct aim at the Palmetto State’s failed crony capitalist approach.
“The era of bad corporate deals that cost taxpayers billions of dollars is over,” Wilson said defiantly.
What will Wilson’s final victory margin be? That remains to be seen… but early returns having him well-positioned to beat out a pair of recent runoff drubbings in the Palmetto State.
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%).
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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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2 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.