Reagan Knight reports from Republican Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette's watch party
11:30 p.m.
Victoria Hansen reports from Republican gubernatorial nominee Attorney General Alan Wilson's watch party
11 p.m.
Democrat Zyon Khalifa wins nomination for South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District
10:34 p.m.
Zyon Khalifa has won the Democratic nomination for South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District in a race against David Robinson II, according to the Associated Press.
Khalifa received about 56% of the vote with about 5,350 votes counted. Robinson II received about 44% of votes cast.
Democrat Nancy Lacore wins party's nomination for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District
9:55 p.m.
Nancy Lacore won the Democratic nomination for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in a contest against Mac Deford, according to the Associated Press.
Lacore received about 52% of the vote with 19,000 votes counted. Deford received about 48% of the votes cast.
Jenny Costa Honeycutt wins Republican nomination for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District
9:45 p.m.
Republican Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt defeated state Rep. Mark Smith in a Republican race for U.S. House. Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace currently holds the seat in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District. Mace ran for governor and left the Republican candidacy open.
Costa Honeycutt received about 53% of the vote, while about 47% of participants voted for Smith.
Gov. Henry McMaster reacts to Republican gubernatorial primary runoff election results
9 p.m.
While I was proud to support Pamela Evette and grateful for her years of service to the people of South Carolina, the voters have made their decision. Pamela has been an outstanding Lieutenant Governor, and we are thankful for her leadership.
— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) June 24, 2026
I congratulate Alan Wilson on his…
Solicitor David Stumbo wins Republican nomination for attorney general
8:50 p.m.
Republican 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo will represent the Republican party in November's General Election race for attorney general, according to the Associated Press. Stumbo — with about 55% of the vote — defeated state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, who received about 45% of the vote.
Stumbo will face Democratic nominee Richard Hricik in the General Election.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette reacts to election loss
8:45 p.m.
Republican Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette gave a speech following her loss in the Republican gubernatorial primary runoff election.
Evette said although she is disappointed by the results, she will give Attorney General Alan Wilson, the victor, her support to try and ensure a GOP win in November's General Election.
Cody Simpson wins Republican nomination for commissioner of agriculture
8:20 p.m.
Republican Cody Simpson will head to November's General Election ballot as the state GOP's nominee for commissioner of agriculture, according to the Associated Press. Simpson, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, received about 62% of the vote with 102,000 votes counted.
Simpson defeated Danny Ford II. Ford received about 38% of the vote.
Simpson will face three other candidates in the General Election:
- Democratic nominee DeShawn Blanding
- United Citizens Party nominee Chris Nelums
- Libertarian Party nominee Michael Sullens
Attorney General Alan Wilson wins Republican gubernatorial nomination
7:30 p.m.
With just about 20,000 votes counted, Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson has won the GOP's gubernatorial nomination, according to the Associated Press.
Wilson currently has 66% of votes counted, while Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette trails with about 34% of the vote. President Donald Trump co-endorsed Wilson on Friday, June 19, after initially giving his sole endorsement to Evette.
Wilson will now face four other candidates in the General Election:
- Democratic nominee state Rep. Jermaine Johnson
- Green Party nominee Walid Hakim
- Citizens United Party nominee Michael Addison
- Workers Party nominee Gary Votour
Results reporting begins to trickle in
7:22 p.m.
Eleven counties have begun to report turnout numbers and election results.
Polls are now closed
7 p.m.
Polls are now closed for South Carolina's June 23 primary runoff election. Anyone already in line to vote can still cast their ballot.
Results and turnout numbers will soon begin to trickle in. South Carolina Public Radio and SCETV will host live primary election night coverage with public affairs reporter Gavin Jackson at 8 p.m.
Winners in tonight's election will appear on the ballot in November's General Election.
Reporters arrive at Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette's watch party
6 p.m.
Republican gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson are each hosting a primary runoff election night watch party. The candidates and supporters will watch results together after polls close at 7 p.m.
South Carolina Public Radio host Reagan Knight and reporter Carlos Hebert arrived at Evette's watch party at 6 p.m. Knight will provide live hits for public affairs reporter Gavin Jackson, who will host live coverage for SCETV and South Carolina Public Radio.
Afternoon headlines on primary runoff election day:
5 p.m.
Hear the June 23 afternoon headlines from South Carolina Public Radio:
Hear from voters in York County
3 p.m.
This update was written by reporter Scott Morgan
Much of the lead-up to the Republican gubernatorial primary this year centered on a central question -- who would get the endorsement of President Donald Trump?
The answer came in the middle of early voting, in May, when Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a Truth Social post that stated, in part: “Pam has my Complete and Total Endorsement.
But when Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson entered a runoff, Trump added his endorsement of Wilson. In a Truth Social post last week, Trump stated: “With either one you can’t go wrong. Vote for Pam or Alan — They will not let you down!
The rare move to endorse opponents has led to some head scratching. It’s also led to both candidates downplaying the president’s weigh-in.
And at least among primary and runoff voters in York County Tuesday, Trump’s opinion on the South Carolina Republican primary was not a factor on display.
I spoke with numerous voters Tuesday at multiple locations around York county and failed to find a single voter who was swayed in any direction by the president’s opinion.
One voter, who did not give her name, nor say for whom she voted, said that Trump’s original endorsement of Evette put her off, as did political mudslinging during the campaigns.
“When they start throwing that mud on other people,” she said, “I don’t like that.”
But by Tuesday, she said, Trump’s endorsement was not something she had considered -- only the character of the two runoff candidates.
Beyond the Trump endorsement(s), two of Wilson’s main former rivals publicly came out to back him . After their losses, former gubernatorial candidates Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace urged their supporters to vote for him.
But those endorsements failed to connect with all but one voter I spoke with Tuesday.
“The people that were endorsing, I don’t put much faith in,” said one voter in Rock Hill, who also did not give her name. She said that she voted for a different candidate in the runoff than she did on June 9, because her original candidate failed to advance to the runoff.
The voter also said she based her vote Tuesday on what Evette and Wilson have shown her since the primary.
“I tried to read on the candidates, and just their background and how they’ve handled themselves since [then],” she said.
Also in Rock Hill, Kelly Dubs was a Nancy Mace supporter who turned her runoff vote to Wlson, but not because Norman or Mace endorsed him.
“I didn’t even realize they did that,” Dubs said. “I didn’t actually pay attention to what they were doing, I did my own research.”
The one voter who did say an endorsement mattered to her was Caitlin Boyle of Fort Mill
“One of the reasons I decided to vote for Alan Wilson this time is because Ralph Norman, who was my original pick for governor, did endorse him,” Boyle said.
Boyle is the vice chair of the York County GOP. She finds trusted endorsements to be vital to voting.
“I think endorsements are a very powerful thing because as voters, we look to people that we trust, on who they trust as well,” she said.
But other voters said that endorsements can be tricky. One voter outside Grace Lutheran Church in Rock Hill, who did not give his name, said that he voted for Wilson but almost didn’t after Norman endorsed him.
“You’ve got to be careful with endorsements,” the man said. “They can backfire on you.”
A rally of runoff candidates
12:15 p.m.
Although most of the key contests in Tuesday's runoff elections are on the Republican side of the ballot, Democratic votes, too, have some contests to keep watch of.
Republican races:
- The Republican gubernatorial race is between Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson. Evette placed first in the contest June 9 with 29% of the vote. About 26% of voters selected Wilson as their candidate of choice. Now, the two are vying for votes from South Carolinians who had not selected them as their favorite Republican choice for governor — or from people who did not vote at all in the initial primary. On Friday, June 19, President Donald Trump co-endorsed Wilson for the role after initially supporting just Evette ahead of the primary election.
- The attorney general nomination is also on the ballot for voters. The contest is between state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch and 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo. Goldfinch led the June 9 contest with about 40% of the vote, while Stumbo garnered about 36% of the vote.
- Commissioner of agriculture is on the ballot, and current Commissioner Hugh Weathers is not seeking reelection after more than 20 years at the helm. The contest is between Republicans Cody Simpson and Danny Ford II. Simpson has been endorsed by Trump and Gov. Henry McMaster. Ford is the son of a Clemson football coach. Both have years of experience in farming.
- South Carolina's 1st Congressional District is in a runoff between two Republican candidates. The seat was up for an election, and incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace chose to run for governor. Republican Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt and state Rep. Mark Smith are the candidates. Honeycutt led the race June 9 with about 22% of the vote, while about 18% of voters selected Smith as their preferred candidate. The two made it out of a pool of eleven candidates
- State House District 8, which covers Anderson County, is in a runoff. Incumbent state Rep. Don Chapman and challenger Sherry Hodges. Chapman received about 45% of the vote June 9, while Hodges received about 43%.
- State House District 96 is, too, in a runoff. The district covers parts of Lexington County. The race has no incumbent. Republicans Hunter Hackett and Scotty Whetstone are on the ballot.
- State House District 99, which Berkeley County is a part of, is another race with no incumbent. State Rep. Mark Smith is instead running for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District. The candidates in this race are Jarrod Brooks and Kristy Gore.
Democratic races:
- South Carolina's 1st Congressional District also has a runoff race on the Democratic side of the ballot. Candidates Mac Deford and Nancy Lacore. Lacore came out with about 37% of the vote June 9, while Deford had about 29% of the vote. The pair are in a runoff after voters narrowed down an initial pool of seven candidates
- South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District is in a Democratic runoff. Candidates Zyon Khalifa and David Robinson II compete for a chance to face incumbent Joe Wilson in November's General Election.
Gov. Henry McMaster votes
11:30 a.m.
Gov. Henry McMaster and First Lady Peggy McMaster arrive at the Lourie Senior Center in Columbia to cast their ballots.
Reporter Rochelle Dean provided this video:
Polls are now open
7 a.m.
Voters can begin to cast their ballots in South Carolina's June 23 primary runoffs. More than 72,000 people voted during early primary runoff voting, which is a state participation record for the period.
A valid photo ID is required to vote. Anyone who voted in the June 9 primary election must vote in the runoff of the same political party they participated in voting for earlier in the month; a Republican primary voter is required to vote in the Republican runoff, and the same goes for a Democratic primary voter and the Democratic runoff.
South Carolinians who did not vote in the initial primary and are eligible to vote can cast a ballot in either runoff election.
Polling locations and sample ballots are available at scvotes.gov.
South Carolinians can help further narrow down options for U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican attorney general nomination and the Republican race for governor. The choices are between the two top vote-getting candidates in primary races in which no candidate won the outright majority of votes.
Polls will close at 7 p.m., and anyone in line by that time can still vote.
