GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) —
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina voters on Tuesday aimed to winnow the field in high-profile races for governor and U.S. Senate, with Republicans seeking to maintain a statewide winning streak that stretches back decades.
Republican contenders have trumpeted their loyalty to President Donald Trump, who has remained popular in the state despite some nationwide
wavering as the war with Iran continues. Sen. Lindsey Graham, among Trump's top allies on Capitol Hill, notched the president's endorsement before his campaign had even begun.
In the governor's race, Trump backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette over several opponents, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace. The primary will determine whether the endorsement can help Evette win outright or if there will be a runoff on June 23.
Democrats are searching for their first victory in a statewide race here in 20 years, but their campaigns for governor and Senate were an uphill climb.
Competition among Republicans for Trump’s support has seemed more intense than any other facet of the primary campaign.
Even before Evette received the president's endorsement, she frequently featured photos and videos of herself with Trump in campaign materials. She was backed by outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster, a longstanding ally of Trump whose support telegraphed the president's own.
Mace also wanted Trump's support, and he endorsed her congressional reelection in 2024 even though she criticized his actions of Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Ralph Norman, among the most conservative members of the House and a member of the Freedom Caucus, strongly supported Trump in the president’s first term. But in the 2024 campaign, Norman stumped for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley instead of Trump.
Rom Reddy, a coastal businessman who has eschewed campaign donations and self-funded his effort, has touted his lack of political experience as an asset, drawing comparisons between Trump and himself.
South Carolina’s other top contest Tuesday is its Senate race, where Graham is competing for the Republican nomination as he seeks a fifth term. A political confidant and regular golfing partner of the president, Graham has routinely batted back primary challengers over the years. Some of this year's contenders — including Project 2025 chief architect Paul Dans and former Lt. Gov. André Bauer — dropped out months ago.
Although their relationship has undulated through the years, Graham has remained close with Trump, who fulfilled the senator's longstanding wish for direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Graham cheered Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and recently said he often speaks to the president about the ongoing conflict.
Among Graham's primary foes is Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, who has said Graham isn't conservative enough to represent the state. Calling himself an “America First” candidate, Lynch has campaigned as a Trump supporter, but on social media the president has called him a “lunatic” and a “disaster for the Republican Party."
Democrats haven’t won the governor’s office or a Senate seat in South Carolina for decades and Republicans in recent history typically have taken statewide seats by double-digit margins.
On Tuesday, Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews has won South Carolina’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, bidding to block Graham from a fifth term. Andrews, who unsuccessfully ran against Mace in 2022, had challenged what she’s characterized as Graham’s waffling positions over the course of his political career.
Republicans in recent history typically take statewide seats by double-digit margins. And when he last ran in 2020, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, by a 10 percentage point margin.
Meanwhile, McMaster defeated his opponent by nearly 18 percentage points in 2022.
Some Democrats hope to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Trump this year.
In the governor's race, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson advanced Tuesday to a Democratic primary runoff in the South Carolina governor’s race.
Johnson has represented a district in the Columbia area for three terms. Seen as a rising star in the state party, Johnson was tapped to give this year’s Democratic response to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster’s state of the state address.
The winner of the November general election will succeed McMaster, who has been in office since Nikki Haley left her term early to join the first Trump administration.
Democrats have not won a general election for governor in South Carolina since 1998, and Republicans have controlled all statewide-elected offices in the state for more than a decade.
In the governor's race, State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, seen as a rising star in the party, won the Democratic nomination to advance to November's general election. He was facing several opponents, including political newcomer Billy Webster, a payday loan company founder who lent his campaign $2 million. There also was attorney Mullins McLeod, who withstood calls from party leaders to shutter his campaign after dashcam video of his 2025 disorderly conduct arrest was released.
Johnson has represented a district in the Columbia area for three terms. In gaining prominence, he also was tapped to give this year’s Democratic response to McMaster’s state of the state address.
The winner of the November general election will succeed McMaster, who has been in office since Nikki Haley left her term early to join the first Trump administration. Democrats have not won a general election for governor in South Carolina since 1998, and Republicans have controlled all statewide-elected offices in the state for more than a decade.
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This story has been corrected to show Jermaine Johnson won the Democratic nomination for South Carolina governor, not entering a runoff.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
