Live Results: South Carolina midterm primaries

Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/live-results-south-carolina-midterm-primaries Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Live Results: South Carolina midterm primaries Politics Jun 9, 2026 3:45 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina voters will choose nominees for governor and other offices in a state primary on Tuesday, the latest test of President Donald Trump's sway over Republican voters. Seven Republicans and three Democrats have lined up to succeed Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is term-limited after 10 years in office. Regardless of party, his replacement will play a key role in the early stages of the 2028 presidential race, with the state expected to again hold critical first-in-the-South presidential primaries. READ MORE: What to watch in Tuesday's primaries as Platner seeks Senate nomination in Maine Trump's recent endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to succeed McMaster could be decisive in a state he carried in three presidential campaigns with at least 55% of the vote. But a recent Republican gubernatorial primary in Iowa showed that Trump's backing, while powerful, is not a guarantee of success. Trump's pick in that race, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, narrowly lost to businessman Zach Lahn. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Nonetheless, Trump's endorsement is still highly coveted. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a onetime staunch Trump ally who broke with the president in calling for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, still touts a past Trump endorsement on her current gubernatorial campaign website. Other Republican candidates for governor include U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, the son of Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson. WATCH: South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidates meet for debate McMaster also has endorsed Evette. The candidates for the Democratic nomination are state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, attorney Mullins McLeod and businessman and former Bill Clinton-era U.S. Department of Education chief of staff Billy Webster. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham faces five Republican primary challengers in his bid for a fifth term. He also has Trump's endorsement. Among the Democrats running is Annie Andrews, a physician who unsuccessfully challenged Mace for her U.S. House seat in 2022. READ MORE: South Carolina Democrats expected to celebrate after failure of Trump-backed redistricting push Graham had spent more than $29 million on his reelection bid as of May 20, far outpacing any of his Republican or Democratic challengers. He entered the final stretch of the primary campaign with about $4.2 million remaining in the bank, more than double the rest of the Republican field combined. Mace's campaign for governor leaves her 1st Congressional District seat open. Seven Democrats and 11 Republicans will appear on the primary ballots, altho