Attorney General Alan Wilson won the Republican nomination for South Carolina governor on Tuesday, defeating Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a primary runoff. Certified results show Wilson received 218,569 votes (68.6%), while Evette received 100,227 votes (31.4%). The victory sets the stage for a general election contest between Wilson and Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in November.
The runoff was triggered following an initial primary in which no candidate secured a majority. During the two-week runoff period, Wilson, 52, secured endorsements from four of his former primary challengers, including Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). He also received backing from out-of-state Republicans including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
President Donald Trump initially endorsed Evette but issued a dual endorsement for both candidates on the Friday before the vote. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated he would endorse both Wilson and Evette because he did not want to "hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other." The late shift in strategy followed internal concerns regarding polling and recent primary losses for Trump-backed candidates in Georgia and Iowa.
Wilson has served as South Carolina’s attorney general for 15 years and is an Iraq War veteran. He gained national attention for overseeing the prosecution of Alex Murdaugh, a case that was reopened in the days leading up to the primary. Wilson is the son of Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and is seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster, who became governor after Nikki Haley was appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The scale of the Republican primary involvement included over 318,000 voters participating in the runoff. The winner of the general election will oversee a state government that manages billions in annual expenditures affecting schools, infrastructure, and healthcare for South Carolinians. As the first open race for governor in the state since 2010, the transition marks a shift in leadership following the record-setting tenure of Gov. Henry McMaster.
The next step in the process is the general election scheduled for November. Wilson will face Jermaine Johnson, the Democratic nominee. While South Carolina is described as a deeply conservative state, the general election will determine the final leadership for the next four-year term. Voters will notice no immediate changes to their taxes or benefits until the new administration takes office in 2027 following the November results.