GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette has kicked off her bid for governor in 2026, highlighting several years of what she considers pushing outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster’s agenda, and an already-formed connection with President Donald Trump.
Evette, first elected as McMaster’s running mate in 2018, spoke to hundreds of supporters Monday evening shortly after she released a short video confirming her run, news outlets reported.
“I stand before you as a mother, a conservative businesswoman and a fighter who is ready on day one to continue that conservative legacy as your next governor,” Evette said in her speech in Greenville.
The announcement video included earlier footage of Evette being praised by McMaster, who is term-limited from seeking reelection, and by Trump, for whom Evette has spoken at his rallies.
“With President Trump back in the White House, South Carolina needs a governor who has his trust, a governor who doesn’t need to build a relationship, a governor who can pick up the phone and get things done for South Carolina, because that relationship already exists,” Evette told supporters.
Four-term Attorney General Alan Wilson and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell have already entered the race for the Republican nomination. Others, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, are expected to join them.
An endorsement by Trump, who won South Carolina’s electoral votes in 2024 by 18 percentage points, could go a long way toward winning the primary, which isn’t until next June. South Carolina hasn’t had a Democratic governor in more than 20 years. The general election is in November 2026.
Evette entered Republican politics as a businessperson with no previous political experience — a trained accountant who cofounded a payroll, human resources and benefits firm with her husband.
Evette on Monday promoted a record while working with McMaster that included supporting law enforcement, tightening state immigration policies and backing abortion restrictions. She also pointed to barring transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
She said her top priorities as governor would include expanding school choice, eliminating income taxes and enforcing Trump’s immigration agenda. Evette also vowed in her speech to eliminate 10 regulations for every new one created and to fight “woke corporations” on the “radical left” that she said were trying to “transform our state.”
“I’ll follow the playbook that made South Carolina so successful,” Evette said.
Evette, from Travelers Rest, is the state’s first female Republican lieutenant governor. She and McMaster were the first team ticket jointly elected in state history after a change in the law.