South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is serving his final term as the state holds the 2026 election, barred by term limits from seeking another four years in office. McMaster, who became governor on January 24, 2017, was elected to a full term in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, meaning he will have served two consecutive terms by the time the November 3, 2026 general election takes place.
South Carolina law limits governors to two consecutive terms, according to Ballotpedia. This rule means McMaster cannot run again, making the 2026 race the first open governor’s race in nearly a decade, according to Live 5 News.
The Republican nominee is South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who won a runoff election on June 23, 2026, defeating Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette. The Democratic nominee is state Representative Jermaine Johnson, who won his party’s nomination outright two weeks earlier. Wilson has served as the state’s attorney general since 2011, while Johnson has represented Richland County in the South Carolina House since 2021.
The Republican primary centered heavily on proximity to President Donald Trump, with nearly all candidates seeking his endorsement. Evette initially secured Trump’s backing in the primary’s closing days, but Trump later said he was endorsing both candidates, according to PBS. Wilson ultimately prevailed in the runoff and gained support from law enforcement officials, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.
The Path to November
Democrats face a significant challenge in the general election. McMaster won his 2022 re-election by a double-digit margin, defeating Democrat Joe Cunningham by nearly 18 percentage points, according to PBS. Democrats haven’t won a governor’s race in South Carolina since 1998, and no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in the state in decades. The last time a Democrat won any statewide-elected office in South Carolina was 2006, and Republicans have typically taken statewide seats by double-digit margins in recent history.
Johnson is centering his campaign on the need for change and new leadership, telling voters that “people are just angry because their lives just aren’t getting any better,” according to Live 5 News. Wilson is campaigning on tax reform, government transparency, and affordability, including a proposal to eliminate the state income tax.
Wilson has selected state Senator Mike Reichenbach of Florence County as his running mate, saying Reichenbach would spearhead an effort to audit state agencies if elected. Johnson has not yet announced a lieutenant governor candidate but said he expects to do so within a month.
Sources
- Live 5 News — South Carolina governor’s race set-up and Wilson/Johnson general election matchup
- PBS News — Wilson’s Republican runoff victory, Trump endorsement details, and historical Democratic performance in South Carolina
- NBC News — McMaster term limits confirmation
- Ballotpedia — South Carolina two consecutive term limit rule
- henrymcmaster.com — McMaster’s inauguration date and election history
- WCBD News 2 — McMaster’s 2022 re-election results
