By admin 
Voters heading to the polls Tuesday to pick their Republican candidate for South Carolina’s next governor will have two other statewide runoffs to decide.
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Polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and South Carolinians who cast Republican ballots June 9 or didn’t vote that day can pick nominees for the next governor or attorney general. Democratic voters can cast a ballot in the 2nd Congressional District runoff.
Who will be GOP nominee for governor?
The November gubernatorial candidates will finally be set Tuesday when the results of the Republican runoff are called.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson are competing for the Republican nomination. Wilson picked up a last-minute co-endorsement from President Donald Trump, who also supported Evette ahead of the June 9 primary.
The two participated in a heated debate a week before the runoff in Conway. Both accused one another of lying, disparaged their records and sniped about attack ads. Evette accused Wilson of accepting a pay raise as attorney general, which he said was misleading since an independent board sets agency heads’ salaries.
Evette and Wilson finished first and second respectively in the June 9 primary, knocking out U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman and businessman Rom Reddy. Mace and Norman both endorsed Wilson following their losses. Gov. Henry McMaster endorsed and campaigned with Evette.
Evette and Wilson campaigned on eliminating the state income tax, though they have different approaches to doing so. Both also want to implement DOGE-style reform to cut back on what they describe as waste in state government and would veto a complete abortion ban that penalizes the mother.
The victor in the Republican primary will be favored when they go up against Democratic nominee state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in November.
Republicans to pick attorney general candidate
State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Goldfinch, and Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo will compete for the Republican nomination for the open, four-year attorney general term.
Goldfinch finished first in the primary, followed by Stumbo. David Pascoe, also a solicitor, finished third in the primary. Pascoe switched to the Republican party last year after being elected as a Democrat to the First Circuit Solicitor’s office. He endorsed Stumbo in the runoff.
Both candidates flexed their conservative track record on the campaign trail, but their backgrounds and experience differ.
Stumbo also worked in the attorney general’s office on criminal cases.
“My experience … makes me the most qualified to lead that office for the next four years.,” Stumbo said.
Goldfinch has prosecuted criminal cases in military courts. Goldfinch said he has “done all the same cases that you have in a local solicitor’s circuit.”
Both candidates say they have good relationships with the General Assembly, but Goldfinch has served in both chambers for more than a decade.
Agriculture race opens for first time in two decades
The agriculture commissioner seat also doesn’t have an incumbent for the first time in more than two decades. Danny Lee Ford II and Cody Simpson progressed to a runoff. Longtime commissioner Hugh Weathers announced his retirement last year.
Both have agriculture backgrounds, but Simpson has worked in the state and federal government and received backing from McMaster and Trump.
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Simpson, a former Trump appointee to the USDA, and Ford, an Upstate cattle farmer, came in first and second in the Republican primary, with less than one percentage point separating them. Simpson received about 4,000 more votes in the statewide primary, a relatively narrow margin. Jeremy Cannon and Fred West also ran for the GOP nomination but did not muster enough votes.
The winner will face Democratic nominee DeShawn Blanding in November.
1st, 2nd congressional districts go to runoff
Several congressional races also went to a runoff. In the Midlands, candidates Zyon Khalifa and David Robinson II will compete for the Democratic nomination for the 2nd U.S. House district. The winner faces longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson in November.
And the crowded field to replace U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace narrowed to two candidates on both the Republican and Democratic side earlier this month. Jenny Costa Honeycutt, a Charleston County Council member, and state Rep. Mark Smith proceeded to the Republican runoff. Military veterans Mac Deford and Nancy Lacore compete for the Democratic nomination.
State House runoffs to be decided
Hunter Hackett and Scotty Whetstone advanced to a runoff replace state Rep. Ryan McCabe, who did not run for reelection. McCabe represented a portion of Lexington County.
An Anderson County state House race is also headed for a runoff, where incumbent Rep. Don Chapman will face Sherry Hodges.
The Republican primary to replace Smith, who is running for Mace’s seat, is also headed to a runoff between Jarrod Brooks and Kristy Gore.
Lexington County school board
In addition to the runoff election Tuesday, a special election will be held for the Lexington 1 school board seat.
Crystal Baker, Dana Homesley and Shelton Yonce will compete to fill the school board seat vacated by Beth Shealy in March. Lexington 1 covers the central part of the county, including the town of Lexington. Gilbert, Pelion, Red Bank and White Knoll.
The Lexington 1 school board election coincides with the runoff, but eligible voters will have to cast two separate ballots.
What to know before going to polls
Polls are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters in line when polls close can still cast a ballot.
Polling locations in Richland and Lexington counties have not changed since the June 9 primary. Registered voters can check their sample ballot and polling place on the state Election Commission’s website.
Registered voters must bring a photo ID. Valid forms of identification include:
- SC drivers’ license
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID
- Voter registration card with photo
- Federal military ID
- U.S. passport
Without a valid ID, registered voters can cast a provisional ballot Tuesday. They must verify their eligibility at the county election office before results are certified for the vote to count.
If someone chose a Democratic ballot in the initial primary election, they cannot vote in the Republican runoff June 23. Similarly, Republican primary voters cannot choose a Democratic ballot in the runoffs.
Early voting opened for two days last week. More than 72,500 South Carolinians went to the polls in the two-day early voting window for the runoffs. About 319,000 voted early ahead of the June 9 primary.
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