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.