SC lieutenant governor becomes 3rd candidate in 2026 governor’s race

GREENVILLE — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette on Monday officially launched her bid to be South Carolina’s next governor, becoming the third candidate to jump into the crowded primary to replace her boss.

The first candidates to announce their bids last month were Attorney General Alan Wilson and Sen. Josh Kimbrell, a Spartanburg County Republican.

Filing for the June GOP primary is still eight months away.

Evette, speaking at a Greenville event space Monday night, emphasized her experience serving alongside Gov. Henry McMaster since he was first elected for a full term in 2018. Although the role is part-time, Evette has supported McMaster’s positions, including a ban on transgender athletes, which he signed in 2022, and support for the state’s law enforcement officers, she said.

“Together, we have delivered conservative successes, not excuses,” Evette told a crowd of several hundred people who packed into the Smokestack at Judson Mill. “And we’ve never settled. We’ve continued to move the needle and have kept South Carolina winning and growing year after year.”

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Evette also aligned herself with President Donald Trump.

Like McMaster, Evette supported Trump from the get-go, she said, including when he announced his run for a second term in 2024.

“And now, with President Trump back in the White House, South Carolina needs a governor who has earned his trust,” Evette said during her half-hour speech. “A governor who doesn’t need to build a relationship. A governor who can pick up the phone and get things done for South Carolina because that relationship already exists.”

A campaign video released on social media Monday shows a montage of McMaster and Trump praising Evette, concluding with “to be continued… 2026.”

“Let’s stand up and Keep South Carolina Great!” reads her message that tops the video.

That message continued at her announcement, as people waved signs that read “Keep South Carolina Great!” and “Pamela Evette for Governor.” Several GOP legislative leaders from the Upstate attended, including House Majority Leader Davey Hiott of Pickens, and Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister of Greenville.

Evette likened her business experience and unconventional path to politics to Trump’s, pointing to her own background as founder of payroll and human resources firm Quality Business Solutions.

The 2026 race to be South Carolina’s CEO is the first solo run for elected office for the trained accountant and mother of three.

Evette joined McMaster’s team as his running mate in November 2017, a year ahead of the first election in South Carolina with candidates for governor and lieutenant governor on the same ticket.

“You see, I’m not a career politician who needs time to figure things out,” Evette said. “I’m a conservative businesswoman who built a successful, national company right here in South Carolina.”

The governor has limited power in South Carolina, though the office does provide a bully pulpit to advocate for and against legislation. McMaster has gotten more of his recommendations passed, compared to his predecessors, largely because he’s worked with GOP leaders ahead of making announcements.

All of the GOP candidates so far, including Evette, have highlighted their intent to eliminate the state income tax, though that is not something the governor can do unilaterally.

In 2022, ahead of the last gubernatorial election, McMaster signed a law cutting state income taxes by more than $1 billion over an expected five years. This year’s state budget completed that phase-in period early.

Legislation passed by the House in late April calls for eventually eliminating the tax, which still makes up about 45% of state general fund revenues, at $6.5 billion. It’s unclear what the Senate will do with that proposal next year.

Evette contends the state can make up that loss in state revenue by mimicking Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency in South Carolina to cut spending. The office would also examine “useless and outdated regulations,” she said.

“For every new regulation proposed, we will get rid of 10,” Evette said.

She would continue to support Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, she said. Although South Carolina is not a border state, more law enforcement agencies have been signing agreements with the federal government to help deport immigrants without legal documentation.

“We must continue to empower our South Carolina law enforcement to keep dangerous illegals off our streets and away from our children,” Evette said.

Evette said she would also push for universal school choice, the term for making all K-12 students eligible for private tuition aid. That would further expand on a state law signed by McMaster in May.

She also wants to continue McMaster’s push for changes in how the Legislature selects judges — as does Wilson. McMaster called a law he signed last year an improvement, but only a start. The Legislature didn’t touch that issue this year.

Evette highlighted consistency as a strong point for her candidacy. Voters “won’t wonder what you’re getting” in voting for her, Evette said.

“You won’t hope I’ll be conservative enough,” Evette said. “You won’t pray I’ll stand with President Trump. Because my record is clear.”

At least three other Republicans have suggested they could enter the race.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who represents the coastal 1st District, has been hinting at a run for governor for months, taking jabs at Wilson and Evette on social media and during stops in South Carolina. She has repeatedly called Evette a “nice woman,” including in a post ahead of Evette’s announcement Monday, while adding that she doesn’t think being nice will be enough to run the state.

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman has said he’ll make an announcement later this month. State Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Summerville, has said he’s considering entering the race but will wait to survey the field before jumping in.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Columbia, said he is considering running.

The last time a Democrat won an elected statewide office was in 2006, for state superintendent of education, and the last Democratic governor, Jim Hodges, finished his term in 2003. All statewide offices, six of seven U.S. House seats and a supermajority of both chambers are held by Republicans.