Tag: GOP

Early poll gives SC lieutenant governor edge in 2026 race
By Nick Reagan; Originally Published: Mar. 12, 2025 by WCSC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Extremely early polling shows South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette with a slight lead among likely Republican voters in the state’s 2026 governor’s race.

The Trafalgar Group, an Atlanta-based political research group, polled 1,127 likely Republican voters between March 8-10 and found 31 percent of voters said they would vote for Evette.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who represents South Carolina’s First Congressional District, locked in 29 percent while Attorney General Alan Wilson maintains a close third with 27 percent of the vote.

About 11 percent said they’d vote for Rep. Ralph Norman, who represents the state’s Fifth Congressional District.

While prospective candidates are starting to position themselves for a run at the governor’s mansion, no one has officially announced their intentions yet.

The same poll questioned voters on how they feel about a variety of issues, including the performance of the president, tort reform and changes to state income tax.

On President Donald Trump’s work in office so far, the poll showed 73.7 percent of South Carolina Republicans approve of how he’s handling the job.

The poll shows there’s strong support, nearly 65 percent, for House Bill H. 3497, which would reform liquor liability for bars and restaurants but less support for the current tort reforms in Senate Bill S.244. Nearly 55 percent of those polled said they view the bill unfavorably.

When it comes to eliminating the state income tax through House Bill 3733, more than 80 percent of people polled supported the idea. However, the question set sets up respondents to believe cutting state income tax would generate more revenue by spending cuts and making the state more competitive.

The polls also found strong support for an SC DOGE with about 75 percent of people saying they view House Resolution 3926 and Senate Resolution 318 favorably or very favorably. 44 percent said it’s their top legislative priority.Those who responded to the poll were primarily white and over the age of 65 with a near even split between men and women.

The group reports a 2.9 percent margin of error.

Click here to read the full findings.

The State House Gavel: 2026 watch

Excerpt from South Carolina Public Radio | By Maayan Schechter, Gavin Jackson, Russ McKinney
Originally Published February 20, 2025

We’re still in a watch, not even a warning, in the 2026 governor’s race.

Traditionally, we expect to see announcements in the spring and summer before the subsequent June 2026 primary.

Nevertheless — while no one has opened a 2026 gubernatorial campaign account yet — there is still money floating out there.

Especially in the direction of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.

The Post and Courier’s Caitlin Byrd first reported that “a network of President Donald Trump’s advisers, staff and political consultants are lining up behind South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, launching a new super PAC to boost her prospects as a leading contender if she decides to run for governor next year.”

Patriots for South Carolina PAC has already raised $5 million.

A Trump endorsement will be one the most critical factors in this statewide race in which many Republican contenders occupy a similar policy lane.

Who we’re watching right now:

  • Evette, a self-made millionaire and former president and CEO of Quality Business Solutions in Travelers Rest, was recently spotted sitting in the front row in the East Room when the president signed an executive order banning transgender players on women’s sports teams.
  • 1st District Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a former state lawmaker, who has put her focus over the last year on legislation that targets the transgender community. At that same White House event, Trump acknowledged Mace’s work. In a post on XWednesday, Mace posted the Post and Courier article about the PAC, referring to Evette as a “a nice lady.”
  • Attorney General Alan Wilson, who also became of a focus of Mace’s criticism from a fiery House floor speech — criticisms that Wilson denies — but has kept busy joining other attorneys general in federal-focused lawsuits. Over the past two years, Wilson has also joined Republican efforts to tweak the state’s judicial vetting and election process.

 

Lieutenant Governor Evette and Congresswoman Nancy Mace headline DCRP event

By Brandon Roberts, originally posted in The Summerville Journal Scene on Sept 2, 2024

South Carolina leaders highlight conservative values at Faith, Family and Freedom Dinner

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and United States Rep. Nancy Mace headlined the 4th annual Dorchester County Republican Party Faith, Family and Freedom Dinner Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Dorchester Shrine Club in Summerville.

“The Faith, Family, and Freedom Dinner is a cornerstone event for the Dorchester County Republican Party, celebrating the core values that define our community and our nation,” said Steven Wright, DCRP chair. “Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Congresswoman Nancy Mace are two prominent leaders committed to advancing conservative principles and advocating for the interests of South Carolinians.”

Mace said she was honored to speak at the event and considers Dorchester County a special place.

“It’s good to be back,” Mace said in an interview with the Journal Scene. “Dorchester County helped bring us across the finish line. We won Dorchester County by over 30 points, and I’m grateful for that.

Mace said she did not have a prepared speech and planned to speak from her heart.

“I’ll probably talk a little bit about issues important to voters in Dorchester County,” she said. “I’ll talk about my faith a bit, and just be humble and thank everybody for their support and offer to help them in any way.”

In her speech, Mace discussed inflation, the border and women’s issues, which she called the “top issues in our district.” She also spoke about her role on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and its hearing about the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, which led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

Evette said she was happy to attend the event for several reasons, including Wright, who she lauded as a “dedicated and involved” leader at such a young age.

“It’s really important to support the young people who are getting involved, especially the Republican Party, because that’s what we have to do,” she said. “A few minutes of my speech tonight will be about opening our doors and getting more young people involved. How do we merge our young Republicans with our local GOPs so that we can be the big tent party we want to be.”

Evette said when she speaks to younger people, she feels they don’t think they’re welcome.

“They just feel like it’s an elite club for an older group,” she said. “I think you got to make it fun. Get business done quickly, and then it’s a social hour when everybody becomes friends; it’s much easier to get together and do fun things.”

In her speech, Evette said it is no secret that Trump will win South Carolina, so she urged those I attended to help in neighboring states.

“We have swing states to the south and north of us,” she said, referring to Georgia and North Carolina. “We got to come together. We got to help Georgia. We got to help North Carolina. It’s tight. We need to talk about our policies. We have great policies. We saw the DNC. Not one policy was talked about. They talked about feelings but not facts.”

Wright also handed out the DCRP’s annual awards at the event. June Fleming received the award for Executive Committee Person of the Year, Janette Chipas received the Most Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, Dorchester County Auditor J.J. Messervy was named Elected Official of the Year, and longtime Dorchester County Sheriff L.C. Knight was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Greenwood Republican Party hosts SC Lt. Gov. Evette

Originally posted by Index-Journal on August 12, 2024

By MYA ATTEN

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette addressed the Greenwood County Republican Party during its August monthly meeting at Lander University.

On Monday, Evette urged the audience to come together, highlighting the importance of unity.

“South Carolina is a huge state when it comes to its impact on the world,” Evette said. “We are small but mighty and our impact is everywhere.”

Evette noted that South Carolina must increase its energy production to maintain growth and continue attracting new businesses.

State Rep. John McCravy thanked Evette for her efforts in floodwater prevention, her commitment to protecting South Carolina’s natural resources and for initiating the statewide “Grab a Bag” liter pickup challenge.

“Evette is one of the greatest advocates for our state,” McCravy said. “She was born in Ohio, but she has the South Carolina traditional values that we share.”

Evette reaffirmed her commitment to advocating for school choice and discussed key legislative actions from this year’s General Assembly.

Among the topics she highlighted were the “Help Not Harm” bill and legislation aimed at protecting children from online pornography.

“As parents, we need help,” Evette said. “There are so many things out there that we can’t monitor all on our own.”

Evette emphasized that her top priority is eliminating DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs from schools. She said she is a strong supporter of school choice.

“It’s a parent’s right and responsibility to determine the best educational path for their children,” Evette said.

Evette shared that during her first year as lieutenant governor, she made it a priority to visit any place that would host her, aiming to listen and learn.

“It was quite a leap for me,” Evettte said. “I went from owning a business to being lieutenant governor.

She also mentioned that she has enjoyed traveling to different parts of South Carolina and engaging in conversations about the diverse developments taking place across the state.

Evette has been South Carolina’s 93rd lieutenant governor since 2019, making her the first woman to ever hold the office in the state.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette speaks with Flashpoint Host Pastor Gene Bailey during the 2024 RNC

While at the 2024 Republican National Convention, South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Evette talks with Pastor Gene Bailey, Host of Flashpoint on the Victory Network.

Evette shares the reasons she stepped away from her successful business to serve as SC’s first female Republican lieutenant governor. She also comments on how the terrible Biden policies are hurting American families and how she and Governor McMaster are working to help S.C. businesses and families across the Palmetto State.

Watch the full episode that aired August 1, 2024 “Don’t Stop Pressing for Truth!” here. You can also watch previous episodes on demand and learn more about Flashpoint and the Victory Channel here.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette speaks with Steve Gruber from the 2024 Republican National Convention

The younger generation has been looking for somebody that they can they can actually connect with and J .D. Vance is going to do that for them. – Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette #RNC2024 #TrumpVance2024

Watch more #SteveGruberShow here: https://rumble.com/user/TheSteveGruberShow.

SC Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette sees a uniting Republican Party at RNC Convention

Interview with Jane Robelot originally posted by WYFF Channel 4 on July 16, 2024

MILWAUKEE — South Carolina’s Lt. Governor Pamela Evette is attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week and describes the events so far as “a Disneyland for Republicans”, adding that Monday night was “electric.”

It was former president Donald Trump’s first public appearance less than 48 hours after an attempted assassination wounded his right ear on Saturday evening. 

He walked into Fiserv Forum to Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA” while the convention crowd roared their support. 

“It was it was electric,” describes Evette. “People are just so overjoyed that the hand of God was on President Trump on Saturday, and he could feel the love in the room.”

Lt. Gov. Evette tells WYFF News 4 that while South Carolinians may be disappointed that Senator Tim Scott wasn’t selected from Mr. Trump’s short list of candidates to join him on the ticket, Ohio’s Senator J.D. Vance will be well received by the people of the Palmetto State as the Vice Presidential nominee.

“Our younger Americans have been saying, ‘I want somebody younger who understands what I’m dealing with every day, and they have that in JD Vance.” Evette continues, “He understands Middle America. He is a young guy with a young family and he understands the problems that they’re facing.”

Lt. Gov. Evette says she’s most looking forward to Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday night. She says he’s preparing a totally different speech than the one he had planned prior to Saturday’s assassination attempt.

Lt. Governor Evette speaks to WYFF 4’s Jane Robelot from the 2024 RNC Convention
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette speaks with Joey Hudson from the 2024 Republican National Convention
Lt. Gov. Evette sits down with Gavin Jackson with the S.C. Lede on Day 1 of the 2024 RNC

On this episode of the South Carolina Lede for July 15, 2024: the latest from the start of the Republican National Convention, just days after the assassination attempt on former Pres. Donald Trump’s life; Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Republican pollster Robert Cahaly discuss what that event means for the GOP; remarks from Pres. Joe Biden from Sunday evening; and more!

SC Lt. Gov. Evette speaks about JD Vance as VP

During the 2024 Republican National Convention, Lt. Governor Evette took time to speak with WSPA Channel 7’s Amy Wood about President Trump’s pick of Senator JD Vance as his Vice President.

SC Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette reacts to JD Vance VP pick
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