SC election runoff: GOP picks governor, other top job nominees. Plus the other results

11:05 p.m.: All precincts reported unofficial results before 10 p.m. More than 350,800 ballots were cast in the runoff, which is about a 10.2% voter turnout.

Attorney General Alan Wilson decisively won the Republican nomination, beating Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette by more than 118,000 votes. He ended the night with nearly 69% of the vote. Evette, who picked up President Donald Trump’s initial endorsement, only won Marlboro, Marion and Horry counties.

Solicitor David Stumbo also beat back state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch by about 10 percentage points for the attorney general Republican nomination.

After a tight primary competition, Cody Simpson won every county in the runoff for the GOP nomination for agriculture commissioner. He earned nearly 63% of the vote in the runoff, defeating Upstate farmer Danny Ford II.

The crowded race to replace U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace also narrowed down to just the Republican and Democratic nominees Tuesday. Jenny Costa Honeycutt picked up nearly 54% of the vote, earning her the Republican nomination, and Nancy Lacore won 52% for the Democratic spot in the November general election.

“We’ve already won over a lot of independents, a lot of Republicans, and we’re just going to have to expand that coalition and make sure that the Democratic Party unites,” Lacore said after the Associated Press called the race for her. She gathered with family and supporters at Saint Urban’s wine bar in Mount Pleasant.

Zyon Khalifa will be the Democratic nominee in the 2nd Congressional District after winning 54% of the vote Tuesday.

10:33 p.m.: Zyon Khalifa won the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Congressional District, the Associated Press projected at 10:33 p.m. He defeated David Robinson II by about 500 votes.

The race was called with an estimated 99% of the vote counted, and Khalifa earned nearly 54%. He’ll run against incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, the father of projected GOP governor nominee Alan Wilson.

10:29 p.m.: Shelton Yonce won a Lexington 1 school board seat with 45% of the vote.

10:22 p.m.: Hunter Hackett should be the Republican nomination to replace state Rep. Ryan McCabe, R-Lexington, according to unofficial state Election Commission results. McCabe, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, did not file for reelection.

Hackett has 68% of the vote with 78 of 96 precincts fully reported. He declared victory Tuesday evening, and opponent Scotty Whetstone conceded.

Hackett will compete against Democratic nominee Vivianne Elston.

9:55 p.m.: Nancy Lacore, a Navy officer removed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, secured the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District, the Associated Press projected at 9:53 p.m.

She earned 52.3% of the vote with an estimated 90% counted, according to AP results. She’ll run to replace U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace against Jenny Costa Honeycutt.

9:45 p.m.: The Republican nomination for the 1st Congressional District was called for Jenny Costa Honeycutt, a Charleston County Council member, the Associated Press reported at 9:43 p.m. She defeated state Rep. Mark Smith.

Costa Honeycutt won nearly 54% of the vote with an estimated 91% counted, the Associated Press projected. She’ll compete against the winner of the Democratic runoff, which has not been called yet.

9:38 p.m.: Several state House races were decided in runoffs Tuesday.

Incumbent state Rep. Don Chapman, R-Anderson, held on to the Republican nomination with 54% of the vote, according to unofficial state Election Commission results. He’ll compete against Demetrius Carson in November.

Jarrod Brooks also won the Republican nomination in state Rep. Mark Smith’s Berkeley County district with more than 64% of the vote. Smith is running for Congress and did not file for reelection.

9:33 p.m.: Democratic governor nominee state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in a video posted on Facebook Tuesday evening said he was looking forward to the spirited debate with Alan Wilson.

“It didn’t matter who was going to come out of this primary runoff,” Johnson said. “We knew we were going to be talking about the issues facing the people of South Carolina. The roads are still the worst in the entire country, health care is still abysmal in this state, and we still have a homicide rate higher than that of California.”

Johnson won his primary June 9 against two other well-funded Democratic competitors.

9:03 p.m.: A special election in Lexington County coincided with the runoffs Tuesday. Voters will elect a new member to the Lexington 1 school board after Beth Shealy resigned earlier this year.

Shelton Yonce, an agent with ERA Realty, has 45% of the vote with 34 of 52 precincts reporting, according to the Lexington County election office. Dana Homesley has 39%, and Crystal Baker currently has 15% of the vote.

Homesley and Yonce both ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the school board in 2024.

Homesley is a claims adjuster at the S.C. Association of Counties. Baker is program director for the nonprofit Gamechangers.

8:55 p.m.: 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo secured the Republican nomination for attorney general over state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown. The Associated Press called the race at 8:48 p.m. He had just under 55% of the vote with an estimated 67% counted, according to the AP.

8:40 p.m.: Alan Wilson gave his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination for governor in front of supporters about 45 minutes after the Associated Press called the race.

He thanked his family, supporters, staff, fellow Republican opponents and running mate, state Sen. Mike Reichenbach. He also thanked President Donald Trump for the late co-endorsement.

Other states’ attorneys general and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry attended Wilson’s runoff night party Tuesday, he saidin his acceptance speech.

Wilson called for party unity in his speech and laid out portions of his platform.

“Together, over the coming days and the coming weeks, we’re going to unify,” Wilson said. “We need to unify. We can’t focus on what divides us. We have to focus on what unites us.”

Around 8:15, Pamela Evette took to the stage to address attendees.

“I won’t pretend that I’m not disappointed, because I am,” Evette said.

“This wasn’t just a campaign for me, it was a movement,” she continued. “A movement built around keeping South Carolina the best place to live, to work and to raise your family.”

Evette called Wilson and said she would support him as the Republican nominee in November, she told supporters.

8:36 p.m.: The New York Times called the commissioner of agriculture race for Cody Simpson, a Gov. Henry McMaster and President Donald Trump endorsee. Simpson picked up nearly 63% of votes with an estimated 53% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press.

8:03 p.m.: The governor’s race was called just before 7:30, less than 30 minutes after polls closed Tuesday.

The call in the governor’s race came so early that there wasn’t a large cheer from the attendees at Alan Wilson’s runoff night party. Many of those in attendance were still coming in, having hors d’oeuvres and getting drinks.

Pamela Evette’s base was similarly silent in Myrtle Beach, as guests continued to mill around, chatting and lining up at the bar.

Wilson continues to hold a nearly 30 point lead with an estimated 25% of the vote counted, the Associated Press reports. Wilson will compete against state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, the Democratic nominee, in November.

7:58 p.m.: The votes for the Republican and Democratic nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in Congress are tight. State Rep. Mark Smith took over the lead for the Republican nomination by 16 votes with an estimated 23% counted, according to the Associated Press.

Democratic hopeful Mac Deford leads by just 60 votes with an estimated 39% counted, according to the AP.

7:45 p.m.: As results continued to come in, Alan Wilson supporters gathered in downtown Columbia, and Pamela Evette’s backers were in Myrtle Beach, where she frequently campaigned.

7:40 p.m.: David Robinson II is leading by nearly 20% with an estimated 8% of votes counted for the 2nd Congressional District Democratic nomination, according to Associated Press reports. The winner of the runoff will compete against incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson in November.

7:29 p.m.: The Associated Press already called the race for the Republican nomination for governor for Attorney General Alan Wilson. Wilson has 65.8% with an estimated 8% of the vote counted.

Mac Deford has an early lead for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District with an estimated 22% of the vote counted, according to AP reports. Jenny Costa Honeycutt has a lead for the Republican nomination with an estimated 11% of the vote reported, the AP reports.

David Stumbo took the preliminary lead for the Republican attorney general nomination, and Cody Simpson has the initial edge for the agriculture commissioner race, according to the state Election Commission.

7 p.m.: Polls closed at 7 p.m. Anyone in line when the polls closed can still vote.

Counties will begin counting and reporting votes for several primary runoffs, including party nominations for governor, attorney general and the replacement for U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace’s Lowcountry House seat.

Primary winners will go on to compete in the November general election. Several candidates already won outright in the June 9 primary, including the Democratic pick for governor, the U.S. Senate candidates and a majority of congressional nominees.

All results are unofficial until certified by the state Election Commission.

Runoff races to watch Tuesday include:

• Governor (Republican nominee)
• Attorney general (Republican nominee)
• Commissioner of agriculture (Republican nominee)
• 1st U.S. House district (Democratic and Republican nominees)
• 2nd U.S. House district (Democratic nominee)
• State House districts 8, 96 and 99 (All Republican nominees)

Voter turnout in the June 9 primary exceeded 25%, and it will more than likely be lower Tuesday without any statewide Democratic candidates.

Gov. Henry McMaster and his wife, Peggy McMaster, both voted in Columbia Tuesday. McMaster endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to succeed him, but he said both Evette and her opponent Attorney General Alan Wilson were “great Republicans” after voting Tuesday.

Evette and Wilson voted with their families on Tuesday, according to the campaigns.

Early voting opened for two days last week. More than 72,500 South Carolinians went to the polls in the two-day early voting window for the runoffs. About 319,000 voted early ahead of the June 9 primary.

Who will be GOP nominee for governor?

The November gubernatorial candidates will finally be set Tuesday when the results of the Republican runoff are called.

Evette and Wilson are competing for the Republican nomination. Wilson picked up a last-minute co-endorsement from President Donald Trump, who also supported Evette ahead of the June 9 primary.

The two participated in a heated debate a week before the runoff in Conway. Both accused one another of lying, disparaged their records and sniped about attack ads. Evette accused Wilson of accepting a pay raise as attorney general, which he said was misleading since an independent board sets agency heads’ salaries.

Evette and Wilson finished first and second respectively in the June 9 primary, knocking out U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman and businessman Rom Reddy. Mace and Norman both endorsed Wilson following their losses. Gov. Henry McMaster endorsed and campaigned with Evette.

Evette and Wilson campaigned on eliminating the state income tax, though they have different approaches to doing so. Both also want to implement DOGE-style reform to cut back on what they describe as waste in state government and would veto a complete abortion ban that penalizes the mother.

The victor in the Republican primary will be favored when they go up against Democratic nominee state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in November.

Republicans to pick attorney general candidate

State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Goldfinch, and Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo will compete for the Republican nomination for the open, four-year attorney general term.

Goldfinch finished first in the primary, followed by Stumbo. David Pascoe, also a solicitor, finished third in the primary. Pascoe switched to the Republican party last year after being elected as a Democrat to the First Circuit Solicitor’s office. He endorsed Stumbo in the runoff.

Both candidates flexed their conservative track record on the campaign trail, but their backgrounds and experience differ.

Stumbo also worked in the attorney general’s office on criminal cases.

“My experience ... makes me the most qualified to lead that office for the next four years.,” Stumbo said.

Goldfinch has prosecuted criminal cases in military courts. Goldfinch said he has “done all the same cases that you have in a local solicitor’s circuit.”

Both candidates say they have good relationships with the General Assembly, but Goldfinch has served in both chambers for more than a decade.

Agriculture race opens for first time in two decades

The agriculture commissioner seat also doesn’t have an incumbent for the first time in more than two decades. Danny Lee Ford II and Cody Simpson progressed to a runoff. Longtime commissioner Hugh Weathers announced his retirement last year.

Both have agriculture backgrounds, but Simpson has worked in the state and federal government and received backing from McMaster and Trump.

Simpson, a former Trump appointee to the USDA, and Ford, an Upstate cattle farmer, came in first and second in the Republican primary, with less than one percentage point separating them. Simpson received about 4,000 more votes in the statewide primary, a relatively narrow margin. Jeremy Cannon and Fred West also ran for the GOP nomination but did not muster enough votes.

The winner will face Democratic nominee DeShawn Blanding in November.

1st, 2nd congressional districts go to runoff

Several congressional races also went to a runoff. In the Midlands, candidates Zyon Khalifa and David Robinson II will compete for the Democratic nomination for the 2nd U.S. House district. The winner faces longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson in November.

And the crowded field to replace U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace narrowed to two candidates on both the Republican and Democratic side earlier this month. Jenny Costa Honeycutt, a Charleston County Council member, and state Rep. Mark Smith proceeded to the Republican runoff. Military veterans Mac Deford and Nancy Lacore compete for the Democratic nomination.

State House runoffs to be decided

Hunter Hackett and Scotty Whetstone advanced to a runoff replace state Rep. Ryan McCabe, who did not run for reelection. McCabe represented a portion of Lexington County.

An Anderson County state House race is also headed for a runoff, where incumbent Rep. Don Chapman will face Sherry Hodges.

The Republican primary to replace Smith, who is running for Mace’s seat, is also headed to a runoff between Jarrod Brooks and Kristy Gore.

Lexington County school board

In addition to the runoff election Tuesday, a special election will be held for the Lexington 1 school board seat.

Crystal Baker, Dana Homesley and Shelton Yonce will compete to fill the school board seat vacated by Beth Shealy in March. Lexington 1 covers the central part of the county, including the town of Lexington. Gilbert, Pelion, Red Bank and White Knoll.

The Lexington 1 school board election coincides with the runoff, but eligible voters will have to cast two separate ballots.

McClatchy reporters Joseph Bustos, Maria Elena Scott, Bristow Marchant, Olivia Sisson and Sydney Lewis contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "SC election runoff: GOP picks governor, other top job nominees. Plus the other results."