By PalmettoBallot
2026
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, and will determine the successor to Republican Governor Henry McMaster, who is term-limited and cannot run for reelection. Primary elections are scheduled for June 9, 2026, with runoff elections on June 23 if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. More than a dozen candidates filed to run before the March 30 filing deadline, creating crowded primary fields, particularly on the Republican side. With an open seat and competitive primaries, the 2026 race is expected to be one of the most closely watched statewide elections in South Carolina in recent years.
Historically, the party opposite the president often performs well in midterm election years, which could shape the political environment in 2026 depending on national conditions at the time of the election. However, South Carolina has become a reliably Republican state in statewide elections, meaning the Republican nominee will likely enter the general election as the favorite. Democrats, however, see the open seat as an opportunity, particularly if the Republican primary becomes divisive or produces a nominee who struggles to unite the party. Population growth in suburban areas, changing voting patterns around Charleston and Columbia, and national political trends could make the race more competitive than recent gubernatorial elections.
Historical Context: South Carolina Governors and Party Control
For more than two decades, Republicans have dominated South Carolina gubernatorial elections. The last Democrat elected governor was Jim Hodges in 1998. Since then, every governor elected in the state has been a Republican, reflecting South Carolina’s broader shift toward the Republican Party in federal and statewide elections beginning in the early 2000s.
Republican governors since 2002 include Mark Sanford, Nikki Haley, and Henry McMaster. Sanford served from 2003 to 2011, followed by Haley from 2011 to 2017. McMaster became governor in 2017 after Haley was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and was later elected to full terms in 2018 and 2022. This long Republican winning streak demonstrates the GOP’s strength in statewide elections, even during years when Democrats performed well nationally.
Despite this trend, open-seat elections historically have been more competitive than races involving incumbents. The absence of an incumbent governor in 2026 could make the election more competitive than recent gubernatorial contests.
Recent South Carolina Gubernatorial Elections
Below is a chart of recent South Carolina gubernatorial election results, showing the margin of victory in each election:
Candidates Running for Governor in 2026
Several high-profile Republican officials and political figures are running for governor, making the Republican primary one of the most competitive in recent state history.
Republican candidates include:
Nancy Mace, U.S. Representative from South Carolina’s 1st District
Alan Wilson, South Carolina Attorney General
Pamela Evette, Lieutenant Governor
Ralph Norman, U.S. Representative from South Carolina’s 5th District
Josh Kimbrell, State Senator from South Carolina’s 11th District
Rom Reddy, Upstate-area businessman
The Democratic primary field is smaller but includes candidates:
Jermaine Johnson, State Representative from South Carolina’s 52nd District
Mullins McLeod, Charleston-area attorney and former gubernatorial candidate
Billy Webster, businessman and former Clinton and George H.W. Bush administration official
With no incumbent on the ballot and large primary fields on both sides, the 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial race shapes up as one of the more consequential statewide contests in recent memory. The Republican primary is expected to be the most fiercely contested stage of the election, and its outcome could define the trajectory of the race heading into the fall. Though the general election landscape favors the GOP given South Carolina's long track record of electing Republican statewide officials, Democrats see potential openings in shifting demographics and a national political climate that could narrow the margin. Still, whoever emerges from the Republican primary will carry a meaningful structural advantage into a state that has not elected a Democratic governor in over two decades.