South Carolina GOP governor primary becomes tight race
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A new poll from the Trafalgar Group shows South Carolina’s Republican governor primary remains wide open, with several candidates separated by only a few percentage points.
According to the survey, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette leads the Republican field with 19.9% support among likely GOP primary voters. Attorney General Alan Wilson follows closely behind at 19.4%, while businessman Rom Reddy receives 19%.
Congressman Ralph Norman polls at 15.9%, followed by Congresswoman Nancy Mace at 14.6%. Another 5.6% of voters remain undecided, underscoring how competitive the race could become as candidates continue campaigning ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
The poll highlights the lack of a clear frontrunner in what is expected to be one of the state’s most closely watched Republican primaries in recent years. Several of the candidates already hold statewide or national political profiles, while others continue working to build name recognition among voters.
The Trafalgar Group survey was conducted May 19-22, 2026, among 1,081 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters. The poll used a mix of live callers, text messages, emails and automated phone calls and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
South Carolina’s gubernatorial race is expected to draw significant national attention as Republicans compete to succeed Gov. Henry McMaster, who cannot seek another term due to term limits.
