With fifteen days remaining before South Carolina’s June 9, 2026 statewide primary, the Republican gubernatorial race remains statistically tied among four leading candidates despite five months of aggressive campaigning, two debates, and sustained advertising across the state.
Attorney General Alan Wilson, Fifth District Congressman Ralph Norman, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette, and First District Congresswoman Nancy Mace continue to poll in a virtual dead heat at the top of the field, according to recent surveys.
Late Entry Shakes Up Field
Businessman Rom Reddy entered the race recently and has spent $5.47 million during his first sixty days as a candidate, according to pre-election disclosure reports filed with the South Carolina State Ethics Commission. Despite the massive expenditure, polling shows Reddy at approximately 11 percent support, trailing the four frontrunners but within striking distance.
State Senator Josh Kimbrell remains at the bottom of the polling, performing poorly enough that the South Carolina Republican Party declined to invite him to the third and final primary debate scheduled for Tuesday evening at Wofford College.
Key Debate Absences
Kimbrell stated he would skip the debate to remain at the State House, where lawmakers continue debating a proposed realignment of South Carolina’s congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump. Evette also announced she will not attend the forum, instead choosing to participate in a get-out-the-vote rally in North Myrtle Beach as early voting begins Tuesday morning across the state.
Both Evette and Reddy previously skipped the first debate in Newberry in early April without apparent damage to their campaigns. The lieutenant governor also declined to participate in a second debate held in Charleston.
Campaign Tone Shifts As Deadline Approaches
The first two debates featured cordial exchanges among candidates. During the Charleston forum, Mace thanked opponents for reaching out after her father’s death and joked that Norman would make an excellent roads administrator in her administration.
Recent weeks have seen increasingly sharp attacks. Reddy has criticized Norman as a career politician, Norman has questioned Wilson’s record as attorney general, Wilson has challenged Evette for suggesting she has Trump’s endorsement, Evette has attacked Mace for criticizing the Trump administration, and Mace has launched broadsides against multiple rivals.
Final Push For Undecided Voters
Polling indicates a substantial portion of Republican primary voters remain undecided with two weeks until the election. Campaigns face pressure to break through in the final stretch, with early voting beginning Tuesday and election day set for June 9.
The timing creates what operatives describe as a critical window for candidates to distinguish themselves before voters begin casting ballots. The upcoming Wofford College debate may provide one of the last major opportunities for frontrunners to make their case to undecided primary voters before early voting begins statewide.