♪ > Welcome to a This Week In South Carolina Special Report.

I'm Gavin Jackson, in Columbia.

It is after Labor Day, which means the 2026 midterm election campaign trail is heating up.

From Congress to the Governor's Mansion and more, there are several campaigns underway.

Especially among Republicans, to secure the nomination for races like the U.S. Senate and the governor's office.

Currently, there are five Republicans and one Democrat in the governor's race.

We'll have analysis from strategic communications consultant Rob Godfrey.

But first, we catch you up on who is running to replace a term-limited Governor Henry McMaster.

Governor Henry McMaster has served as the state's 117th Governor since Governor Nikki Haley resigned in January 2017 after being confirmed as President Donald Trump's Ambassador to the United Nations at the recommendation of McMaster, who was lieutenant governor at the time.

By ascending, McMaster, a party insider fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming governor.

He won his first term after a tight primary runoff in 2018, thanks in part to Donald Trump, who McMaster endorsed before any other statewide elected official in 2016.

McMaster was easily reelected to his second and final term in 2022, and became the longest serving governor this past January.

Alan Wilson has served as South Carolina Attorney General since 2011, winning four terms statewide to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the state.

Wilson is a 52 year-old resident of Lexington County.

He is married with two children, and is the son of Second District Congressman Joe Wilson.

Alan has then joined the state in lawsuits against the federal government, including a 600 million dollar settlement over plutonium stored at the Savannah River Site.

He's actively worked to combat human trafficking, domestic violence, child predators, and fighting drug abuse, among other initiatives.

In late June, he made the long awaited decision to jump in the race.

> Together, we will reach our full potential and capitalize on the opportunities in front of us.

We'll leave no stone unturned, no call unanswered.

We will again deliver for the people of South Carolina and reclaim our standing as the envy of the South, a beacon of opportunity.

As your governor, we'll deliver meaningful relief to hard working people.

We're going to finally eliminate the state income tax.

Gavin> Wilson has continued to elevate his profile through court cases that have national ties and South Carolina implications.

State Senator Josh Kimbrell of Spartanburg got in the race shortly after Wilson, in June.

The two-term senator has positioned himself in a similar lane and has championed such issues as stricter abortion laws, tort reform changes and voted for removing Treasurer Curtis Loftis from office over the mismanagement of funds.

Since his announcement, Kimbrell has had few appearances on the campaign trail and has been ensnared in legal issues stemming from an aircraft leasing company, he was, until recently, a partner in.

Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette has also jumped in the race.

But before November 2017, she was relatively unknown.

That's when Governor McMaster announced Evette as his running mate.

> The next Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, Pamela Evette.

Pamela.

(cheers and applause) Gavin> Thrusting the businesswoman into the world of politics in what was the first time a South Carolina Governor was able to pick their lieutenant governor following a change to the Constitution.

Gov.

McMaster> I was, considering who would be the right running mate, the right candidate, and the right lieutenant governor to work with me.

And all signs pointed to Pamela Evette.

When I met Pamela and understood her background, her family and met her family, and her business background and great success and deep experience in business and oftentimes having to navigate through government regulations and taxes and those sorts of things.

I thought she was exactly the right candidate for right now in South Carolina.

Gavin> In July, Evette gathered a thousand supporters at her launch in the Upstate Republican stronghold in Greenville, which is close to Travelers Rest, which her family has called home since she moved to the state more than two decades before.

> You can choose someone who has stood with Governor Henry McMaster since the beginning and helped deliver one of the greatest legacies of conservative government in America.

Or you can choose from a menu of career politicians who say pretty things and can't and will never get it delivered.

You can choose a businesswoman and entrepreneur, a woman of faith, and a mother of three.

Or you can choose another career politician who has no idea what it takes to run a successful business, let alone, growing state.

(cheers and applause) Gavin> Evette has a strong relationship with McMaster as his second-in-command, and she's looking to build off of McMaster's accomplished legislative legacy.

All the contenders are looking to get as close as possible to President Donald Trump, who is extremely popular among Republican primary voters, who will cast ballots for who they want to be the nominee next June.

Evette has touted her unwavering support for Trump since 2016, and has been at all of his South Carolina events.

Including the announcement of his executive team at the State House in January 2023 and at the massive July 4th rally in Pickens, later that year.

In late July, Fifth District Republican Congressman Ralph Norman announced that he was running for governor before some 750 people in Rock Hill.

Norman, who is 72, is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus and has found himself as a key vote in the middle of major situations, spanning government shutdowns, spending debates, and speaker elections.

Norman has held the seat since a special election in 2017, following the resignation of Mick Mulvaney, after he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the Office of Management and Budget in Trump's first administration.

Norman also gave shout-outs to members of the South Carolina House Freedom Caucus, the more than one dozen far-right Republicans who have caused headaches for Republican Party leadership in Columbia.

> We do not need more career politician folks or lawyers running government.

We need- (cheers and applause) We need business leaders, people who have signed the front of a paycheck, and people who have signed the back of a paycheck.

Folks who have built something, taken risks, made money, yes, and lost money.

I've done both.

And it's exactly this, the kind of real world experience, that I have had and that we need those experiences from people who serve, choose to serve in public office.

Thankfully, as Mark said, "We have a great businessman and fellow developer back in the White House."

What a difference six months has made in this country.

Gavin> Norman received the endorsement of the entire House Freedom Caucus, as well as that of former Governor Nikki Haley.

While Norman endorsed his good friend Haley for president in 2024, he is still a Trump supporter through and through.

And like others in the race, is hoping for his endorsement.

First District Congresswoman Nancy Mace has been teasing a run since the start of the year.

And in early August, she made it official before 150 people on the campus of her alma mater, The Citadel, in which she was the first woman to graduate from the Military College of South Carolina in 1999.

Mace is 47, and before being elected to Congress in 2020, she represented District 99 in the State House of Representatives, winning a 2017 special election.

Mace has the strongest name ID in the race and has a reputation nationally, thanks in part to her media savvy and her ability to get on camera.

Something she mastered following the attempted insurrection on January 6th, where she came out hard against President Donald Trump, though did not vote to impeach him.

The two have had a bit of a fraught relationship because of that, though it has mended over the years.

Mace, too, is working hard to get that critical Trump endorsement in a race, in which she is one of five.

Mace has also drawn major headlines for her crass behavior at times.

> It's Nancy Mace, spelled like the pepper spray.

But if you're one of my political foes, I want to remind you that mace is also a medieval weapon.

A weapon that I use on the oversight committee to go after the Biden crime family day in and day out in Congress.

Gavin> Her ability to get in the middle of a major national event, like voting to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, or getting the president on the phone to sway members like Ralph Norman, in January to keep Speaker Mike Johnson in his spot.

Mace has fought strongly for women's rights by blasting the transgender movement, and wishes to bring that fiery rhetoric to the bully pulpit of the Governor's Mansion.

Rep. Mace> We will hold the line against the gender cult that has invaded our schools.

And we've seen it.

Just a few months ago, I noted how Clemson University had 15 genders on a form.

Did you know male and female were not two of the options?

So you know what we did?

We made a statement about it.

And you know what Clemson did three hours later... they took the form down.

And I'm not even governor yet.

So imagine what we can do from the state- from the Capital of Columbia when we are governor.

Gavin> And the first Democrat has jumped in the race, trial lawyer Mullins McLeod.

McLeod has become recently well known due to his disorderly conduct incident that involved him in downtown Charleston on May 14th.

According to The Post and Courier, McLeod's lawyer, Shaun Kent, said the incident stemmed from a mental health episode and exhaustion.

The incident has prompted the South Carolina Democratic Party to ask McLeod to suspend his campaign, with State Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain saying "It is clear that McLeod is navigating profound challenges and should focus on his mental and emotional well-being."

For some insight and analysis, specifically on the governor's race, I caught up with strategic communications consultant Rob Godfrey.

Godfrey has been around South Carolina politics for years, including on Nikki Haley's campaign, serving in her administration as her Deputy Chief of Staff for communications, and also working on Governor McMaster's campaigns.

He's not involved in any campaign this cycle, and I opened by asking him to give me a read on this race for the Republican nomination for governor and what folks need to be doing right now.

> We're still in September, and that the primary is not until June.

But this is getting, you know, closer and closer to the sprint.

People do start to engage when it, when Labor Day comes around.

And you've got five candidates, two of whom are statewide office holders, two of whom are members of Congress, sitting members of Congress, and one of whom is a State Senator.

And so each of them, in their own way, has their work cut out for them.

But a lot of the work that they have cut out for them is similar in nature.

The first thing I would say, and that they may bemoan but is important, is fundraising.

You know, fundraising is one of the most critically important things each one of these candidates can and should be doing right now and they are doing.

Because what fundraising does is allow them to, to collect the, the resources that they need to communicate their vision and their message that they want voters to hear about them throughout the state, for the duration of this primary.

It's going to take a lot of money to communicate with every voter, with every Republican voter in this state.

And building a campaign account that is... that is going to have the resources that are going to be needed to do that.

It's hard work.

So right now what you're seeing is candidates locking down donors, dialing for dollars and introducing themselves to a variety of different groups.

Not just donors, but activists who may not know them, business people who may not know them, and other folks who may not know them.

Because this is a, again, a short sprint, but ultimately, a long game to building name ID building a ballot share and defining yourself in the way that you want to define yourself, and defining yourself as opposed to letting your candidates define yourself, takes a lot of money to do in a competitive primary, particularly in this state, for an office as hard as governor.

> So, Rob, with that being said, when we're talking about fundraising specifically, it's been just a couple of weeks for some of these candidates, having announced.

But, you know, we saw Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette come right out of the gate when she announced that she had raised or had commitments for a million dollars within the first 24 hours of her announcement.

No one else has done that yet.

Not saying that, is a make or break for folks.

I mean, obviously it's still early days, they are relying on a lot on earned media, a lot of going around and talking to groups in small numbers, getting those activists, like you're talking about.

But at some point is the fundraising... is that going to come to is push going to come to shove with that?

When you don't see that you're getting the money that you need to kind of launch this statewide campaign, is that going to cull the field a little bit?

Are we months away from that?

When do they start realizing that, "Hey, I'm not getting the traction with donors that I need to sustain a campaign?"

Rob> Sure.

I think we always see fundraising as kind of one of those things that culls the field with... when it comes to candidates.

But I don't think we've hit that point yet.

As you mentioned, the Lieutenant Governor has, by all accounts, had a successful, rollout of her campaign and fundraising efforts because she's now the first one, up on TV statewide.

And the ability to be up on statewide TV is always an indication that fundraising is going well.

By the same token, we have a sitting Attorney General, who himself, you know, who himself has proven to be a prodigious fundraiser over the course of his time in office.

And he should not be underestimated.

And he just hasn't chosen to spend, the resources that, that he has on TV yet.

But I'm sure we'll see how he, how they're, how they decide to strategically spend those resources.

And then you've got two sitting members of Congress that we don't quite know yet because we haven't seen those first, rounds of disclosures.

And they have, they have significant potential to raise some money and make some noise when it comes to donors as well.

Because they have not only the benefit of raising money here in South Carolina, but they have the ability to raise money in Washington.

Because, you know, as we talk about for all of these candidates, one of the most powerful tools they have, in their arsenal for... running this race, whether it's earned media or it's raising money, is the incumbent office, which they hold.

And so, there are donors who are going to want to give to the sitting Lieutenant Governor, who's been a partner with Governor McMaster, to the sitting, Attorney General, who's been, you know, someone who's been- Had a tremendously successful record when it comes to law enforcement.

And they're going to be donors who are going to want to give to people who sit in Congress, sit on important committees, have strong and, loud voices in Washington, as well as in South Carolina.

And, a candidate who is a, who's a State Senator.

So, all of... all of those candidates have advantages, when it comes to fundraising, although admittedly, some of them are... stronger than others.

Gavin> I was gonna say, especially with the members of Congress having to run every two years.

They're aware of how much it takes to fundraise and to kind of keep that campaign going for Congress.

This is statewide, a little bit of a different beast, but still raising money, nonetheless.

So when it comes to those members in Congress, obviously they're up in D.C. during the week.

They don't have the home court advantage of, folks back home who can travel for work, but also maybe campaign on the side, fundraise on the side as well, get their message out there.

But when you're in Congress, you can also, you know, get some national headlines, too.

We've seen Nancy Mace be very successful with that.

Ralph Norman in the House Freedom Caucus also doing that.

So is that their advantage when it comes to, what offsets them from being back home as much as the other candidates?

Rob> I think it's two things.

Without question, Congresswoman Mace, who has a tremendous social media following, has been able to meet people, where they consume information.

That's a... a social media following that, by the last count, if you combine both of her, I think both of her accounts on X, you know, I think she may be on TikTok.

If she's not, I apologize for that.

But, she's meeting, she's meeting voters where they consume information.

And she, you know, presumably is able to raise money when Congress is not in session, you know, and that's in the evenings, that's, you know, whatever, you know, when she's in Washington.

The same goes for Congressman Norman, who's built, a reputation as kind of a seasoned, a seasoned member of the Freedom Caucus who conducts himself with a bit more restraint than some of the other ones do.

He's got a mature voice.

He's someone people go to, whether it's reporters on the Hill or whether it's members of the leadership, to take the pulse of the Freedom Caucus.

And he has the ability, by virtue of committees he sits on by virtue of... leadership he's taken in the Freedom Caucus and by virtue of power he's wielded, to... you know, make the ask of people to help him continue to propel his influence, and... do what he's done in Columbia, do in Columbia, the same things he's done in Washington.

Gavin> In that vein, too, when we're talking about social media, we're talking about national media.

Nancy Mace, you know, she touts that she has the strongest name ID so far, in this race.

When we talk about name ID, that doesn't necessarily translate into votes.

What is name ID?

I mean, it's obviously good to have, but what's the advantage there?

What do other candidates need to do to make inroads there?

Rob> Well, when it comes to name ID, it's absolutely, you know, an important part, an early indicator of of candidate strength.

But, you know, you have to also figure out a way to turn that name ID into ballot share.

And I don't think we've seen enough public polling to be able to assess which candidates have successfully turned name ID into ballot share.

And when your, when your name ID is lower, being able to have the resources to get on television is absolutely an advantage and can help make up, a lot of ground.

And, and help make up a lot of ground quickly.

So, I think we'll see, I think we'll see some of these candidates make decisions based on their name ID, and how that name ID is converting to ballot share.

You know, starting... you know, now, starting in the next few months.

And that'll inform how they, you know, how we see them on television, how they talk about their opponents on television, both in earned media and paid media.

> And, Rob, the biggest... factor in this all, of course, is President Donald Trump and his endorsement.

We don't know if he's going to endorse in this phase, there's five candidates.

All of them saying that they have connections to him.

They all do in some way, shape, or form.

They're vying for that endorsement.

Because there's a lot of similarities between these candidates, you know, and the policy stances that they have.

But of course, if they get that endorsement, it seems like it will carry a lot of weight, especially with those primary voters.

So, is this right now just the biggest race to see who can be the Trumpiest?

Who can say that they know him the most, who can show, track records with him at this point?

> While I would like to think that this campaign is more than just a race for the endorsement of one person, I think that we'd be disingenuous to sit here and say that he doesn't, you know, cast a large shadow over it.

You can't sign on to social media without these candidates talking, almost daily about Donald Trump, touting his accomplishments, talking about how they would do similar things.

But I think it's also important to remember that the governorship is something that people in South Carolina take very personally.

We want to know our governors.

We want to feel like we have a direct line to them.

We very much... we very much regard them as people who are representatives of our interests.

They share our values, they understand our problems.

I think that's why you see someone like Governor McMaster, who has spent, you know, almost a decade in office as governor, continuing to enjoy some of the strongest approval ratings, and popularity among not just Republicans, but among Democrats.

We know our governors here.

We like them, we trust them.

And so, as much as we want to see these candidates and how they will work with President Trump, we want to know what their vision for South Carolina is and for the future of our children, for the future of our grandchildren.

That's education.

That's infrastructure.

That's our tax- That's how, that's our, our system of taxation.

And that's how they'll approach, economic development and business growth.

Gavin> Rob, we have just a few minutes left.

I want to talk about the senate race as well.

But, closing up on this for the gubernatorial Republican primary, when we look at what this year has been like so far, we've seen, Congresswoman Mace really going in on Attorney General Alan Wilson.

She's also made a lot of digs at Pam Evette.

Now, here we are post-Labor Day, Pam Evette is up with millions of dollars worth of TV ads really harping on her connection to Trump, saying that she's been with him since 2016.

Something that Mace can also say too.

But then we also saw fallout between Mace and Trump after January 6th.

He didn't endorse her in 2022.

And there's some pretty rough footage that, Pam Evette is already airing in her ads, you know, with Trump calling her crazy, talking about Mace and different things like that.

So it seems pretty significant to see such, intense advertising already coming out of the gate from the Evette campaign.

Do you think that this is a way to really shape the narrative right now, that people are, you know, maybe paying attention more after post-Labor Day?

Is it away for Evette to really kind of assert some dominance here?

Is it really just showing folks that in South Carolina, politics is truly a bloodsport at this point?

Rob> You know, I think it's two things, when it comes to advertising for the Lieutenant Governor.

I think, absolutely, you know, it shows that she has resources to reach voters, and she has those resources, at her disposal now.

And I think it also shows the fact that she wants to begin to, raise your name ID and define herself before other candidates had the opportunity to.

That's, you know, that's one of the strategic decisions you make when you go up on TV.

And I think that anyone would be, would... you know, if they're being honest, would say, "Hey, you know, I'd love to be in the position to be able to be up on television if I want to be."

And she's in that position.

You know, with regard to Congresswoman Mace and her, and her ties to President Trump, she without question, has longstanding ties to President Trump.

And worked for his first campaign.

She's been supportive of him over the last four years.

She endorsed him in 2024.

But it would be presumptuous, I think, for you or for I, to, claim that we know anything about who Donald Trump is ready to endorse in this race or any other race across the country.

Because to say he's mercurial when it comes to these endorsements is an understatement.

And to say that there are a number of candidates around the country who have complicated, maybe tortured relationships when it comes to, the President, I think is also fair to say.

So there's no predicting where he could land in a race like this, or if he lands at all.

You know, he has... he has some important business to attend to in the Congress before he starts, dabbling in, in politics.

And he has a majority to maintain in the House of Representatives as well.

Gavin> Rob, with about a minute, I want to just ask you one person that we do know who does have President Donald Trump's endorsement is Senator Lindsey Graham, who is seeking his fifth term in the U.S. Senate.

<Yeah> He has a lot of... somewhat divisive among Republican voters, obviously, with Democrat voters as well.

But, there's always a fight among primary voters over Lindsey Graham.

He's faced a lot of challengers over the years.

He's handily defeated them.

Do you think that 2026 will be similar for Senator Graham?

Rob> Senator Graham seems to be in... a great spot right now.

He's got, President Trump's endorsement.

He was one of the first, if not the first, incumbent senator he endorsed.

And, the highest profile, a potential opponent that he had declined to run.

I think he has, you know, nominal opponents, that no one knows who they are.

There's a guy running around who wrote, you know, the book report "Project '25," that the president distanced himself from.

So, I don't think that, you know, right now, Senator Graham has a whole heck of a lot to worry about, except for getting his voters out and doing the things he needs to do to be successful as a primary candidate in this election cycle.

Gavin> Yeah.

And with 16 million dollars in the bank, that's kind of easy to do at this stage.

So we'll see what happens going forward.

Rob> Senator Graham can raise money.

Gavin> Rob Godfrey, thank you very much.

Rob> Thank you.

Gavin> We'll keep you updated here and on the South Carolina Lede podcast on these races and more as we head toward the June primaries.

For South Carolina ETV, I'm Gavin Jackson.

Be well South Carolina.

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