Election 2026: Wilson thumps Trump-backed candidate in gubernatorial runoff

(The Center Square) – Alan Wilson, son of a congressman and four-term attorney general, on Tuesday won a place on the Republican ticket for South Carolina governor ahead of a candidate endorsed by Donald Trump.

Less than 10% of the vote in the primary election runoff was in about 25 minutes after polls closed when the race was called with Wilson leading Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette by 31%. Evette had led a five-candidate field two weeks ago carrying the nod of the second-term Republican president.

No decisions were in at time of publication for the Republicans’ runoffs for attorney general or in the 1st Congressional District, or in the Democrats’ runoffs for the 1st Congressional District and the 2nd Congressional District.

Wilson is the son of 13-term U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson. Two weeks ago, Evette (28.9%) and Wilson (26.2%) gained more than half of the nearly 465,000 votes cast ahead of U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (17.1%), coastal businessman and political outsider Rom Reddy (14.2%) and U.S. Rep. Nanc...