ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Nancy Mace and Pamela Evette lead the pack in the race to become the Republican nominee for governor of South Carolina, according to the latest Winthrop Poll.
Results from the new poll find Mace – the current congresswoman from South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District – and Evette – the current lieutenant governor of South Carolina – to be in a statistical tie for the lead among Republican registered voters in the state, followed by U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson with S.C. Sen. Josh Kimbrell in a distant fifth place.
Winthrop Poll Director, Dr. Scott Huffmon, stated: “Congresswoman Mace and Lieutenant Governor Evette have been ahead of the pack regarding earned or purchased media. This appears to be reflected in these results. Mace and Evette tied at the top of the contenders. Numbers for Attorney General Alan Wilson seem to have dropped compared to other recent polls. This could be attributed to increased name recognition for other candidates or a casualty of the frequent direct attacks directed at Attorney General Wilson by Congresswoman Mace. The results of polling in the months between now and the primary are sure to be fluid as the candidates begin to engage their full campaign strategies. It is also clear that President Trump’s endorsement could be a key factor in the outcome of this race.”
The GOP primary will take place in June 2026, followed by the general election in November.
Nearly 8 in 10 Republicans in South Carolina say President Donald Trump’s endorsement is very or somewhat important to them when deciding who to vote for in the gubernatorial primary.
When it comes to how Trump is handling his job as president, South Carolinians are split. Among all registered voters, just over half approve. Among only Republican registered voters, approval jumps to more than 80%.
Huffmon noted, “Naturally, Trump continues to ride extremely high among his party. His overall numbers may have benefited from this poll being in the field when he was able to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which is something everyone had been hoping for.”
Half of South Carolinians approve of the way Henry McMaster is handling his job as governor. Approval of the governor remains high within the GOP and comes in at more than half among registered voters regardless of party affiliation.
According to Huffmon, “Governor McMaster is virtually as popular as President Trump among Republicans who expressed an opinion. With the natural exception of Democrats, McMaster is above water across the board including a solid 6 out of 10 registered voters who expressed an opinion.”
See tables and methodology below.
For additional information or to set up an interview with Scott Huffmon, contact Judy Longshaw at longshawj@winthrop.edu or 803/323-2404 (office) or 803/984-0586 (cell).
RESULTS MAY NOT SUM TO 100 DUE TO ROUNDING
NOTE: Due to the Margin of Error, Mace and Evette are TIED among all three groups below, as are Norman and Wilson. Reporting that either is “ahead” based on this data is incorrect.
Asked of Republicans only; candidates listed in random order.
If the election for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina [was held today], would you vote for…
|
|
GOP, registered to vote, said they are “Very Likely” to vote MOE +/-4.47% |
GOP, registered to vote, said they are “Very Likely” OR “Somewhat Likely” to vote MOE +/-4.02% |
GOP, registered voters, ALL MOE +/-3.94 |
|
Nancy Mace, the current Congresswoman from South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District |
18.7 |
17.6 |
17.1 |
|
Ralph Norman, the current Congressman from South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District |
8.9 |
8.0 |
8.0 |
|
Pamela Evette, the current Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina |
17.5 |
16.7 |
16.3 |
|
Josh Kimbrell, a current member of the South Carolina State Senate from the 11th SC Senate District |
3.6 |
3.3 |
3.4 |
|
Alan Wilson, the current Attorney General for South Carolina |
7.8 |
7.8 |
7.8 |
|
Undecided |
42.7 |
45.8 |
46.7 |
|
Prefer not to say |
0.7 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
Asked of Republicans only
How important is the endorsement of Donald Trump to your decision who to vote for when voting for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina?
|
|
GOP, registered to vote, said they are “Very Likely” to vote MOE +/-4.47% |
GOP, registered to vote, said they are “Very Likely” OR “Somewhat Likely” to vote MOE +/-4.02% |
GOP, registered voters, ALL MOE +/-3.94 |
|
Very important |
46 |
41 |
41 |
|
Somewhat important |
33 |
35 |
35 |
|
Not very important |
12 |
14 |
15 |
|
Not at all important |
9 |
10 |
10 |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President of the United States?
|
|
GOP, registered to vote, ONLY THOSE EXPRESSING AN OPINION |
GOP, registered to vote, ALL |
Registered Voters, ONLY THOSE EXPRESSING AN OPINION |
Registered Voters, ALL |
|
Approve |
90 |
88 |
54 |
52 |
|
Disapprove |
10 |
10 |
46 |
44 |
|
Prefer not to answer |
Not Included |
2 |
Not Included |
4 |
|
|
All Republicans Who Expressed an Opinion (not including leaners) MOE +/-3.69% |
All Republicans (not including leaners) |
All Democrats Who Expressed an Opinion (not including leaners) MOE +/-4.5% |
Democrats (not including leaners) |
All Respondents Who Expressed an Opinion |
All Respondents |
|
Approve |
87 |
85 |
12 |
12 |
49 |
46 |
|
Disapprove |
13 |
13 |
88 |
83 |
51 |
47 |
|
Prefer not to answer |
Not Included |
2 |
Not Included |
6 |
Not Included |
7 |
NOTE: Political Independents are included in “All Respondents” and do not always have attitudes “in between” Republicans and Democrats. They are also often more likely to respond to questions with Not Sure or No Answer.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Henry McMaster is handling his job as Governor of South Carolina?
|
|
GOP, registered to vote, ONLY THOSE EXPRESSING AN OPINION |
GOP, registered to vote, ALL |
Registered Voters, ONLY THOSE EXPRESSING AN OPINION |
Registered Voters, ALL |
|
Approve |
87 |
82 |
60 |
55 |
|
Disapprove |
13 |
12 |
40 |
37 |
|
Prefer not to answer |
Not Included |
5 |
Not Included |
9 |
|
|
All Republicans Who Expressed an Opinion (not including leaners) MOE +/-3.69% |
All Republicans (not including leaners) |
All Democrats Who Expressed an Opinion (not including leaners) MOE +/-4.5% |
Democrats (not including leaners) |
All Respondents Who Expressed an Opinion |
All Respondents |
|
Approve |
87 |
85 |
12 |
12 |
49 |
46 |
|
Disapprove |
13 |
13 |
88 |
83 |
51 |
47 |
|
Prefer not to answer |
Not Included |
2 |
Not Included |
6 |
Not Included |
7 |
NOTE: Political Independents are included in “All Respondents” and do not always have attitudes “in between” Republicans and Democrats. They are also often more likely to respond to questions with Not Sure or No Answer.
