South Carolina Primary Sends Governor’s Race and AG Race to a Runoff; Graham Wins Senate Nomination Outright
June 10, 2026
More than 855,000 South Carolinians cast ballots Tuesday in the 2026 Statewide Primary, an election that narrowed a crowded field for governor, set up a runoff for attorney general, and put U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November ballot.
Statewide turnout reached 25.28 percent, with 855,370 ballots cast out of 3,383,591 registered voters, according to the South Carolina Election Commission. All results remain unofficial until certified.
Governor’s Race Heads to a Runoff
The Republican nomination for governor will be decided in a head-to-head contest between Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson after neither captured a majority Tuesday. Evette led the six-candidate field with about 29 percent of the vote, with Wilson close behind at roughly 26 percent. U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman finished outside the top two and were eliminated. Evette and Wilson now move to a June 23 runoff, with the winner advancing to November as South Carolina prepares to elect its first new governor since 2018. Gov. Henry McMaster is term-limited and cannot run again.
The Democratic nomination was settled outright Tuesday night, with state Rep. Jermaine Johnson claiming nearly 60 percent of the vote to win his party’s nod.
Stumbo Advances to Attorney General Runoff
The race to succeed Wilson as attorney general carries a strong connection to the Lakelands region. Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo and state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch emerged from the three-candidate Republican field and will meet in the June 23 runoff. Stumbo, now serving his fourth term as the circuit’s lead prosecutor, launched his campaign last September with an announcement at the Laurens County Museum. The 8th Judicial Circuit includes Laurens County, giving local voters a familiar name in the running for the state’s top law enforcement post.
Graham Wins Senate Nomination Outright
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham avoided a runoff entirely, securing the Republican nomination Tuesday with about 57 percent of the vote as he seeks a fifth term. His Democratic opponent in November will be Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston.
Runoff elections will be held Tuesday, June 23, in races where no candidate received a majority, and voters who did not participate in Tuesday’s primary may still cast ballots in their party’s runoff before the General Election arrives on November 3.
