Unofficial Tuesday night election results are given

By James Pease II

Voters across South Carolina’s 46 counties headed to the polls Tuesday, June 9, to cast ballots in a number of primary races for statewide and local offices.

The 2026 election cycle marks the state’s first open race for governor in more than a decade. Republican Governor Henry McMaster is unable to seek another term because of term limits, leaving the governor’s office up for grabs and creating a highly competitive contest among several prominent candidates.

The Republican primary featured a crowded field of potential candidates. Under South Carolina election law, candidates must receive more than fifty percent of the vote to secure their party’s nomination outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff election scheduled for Tuesday, June 23.

The following are the unofficial results of the leading candidates from the Tuesday, June 9, primary election at press time:

Republican Governor candidate: Pamela Evette

Democrat Governor candidate: Jermaine Johnson

Republican Attorney General candidate: Stephen Goldfinch

Republican Commissioner of Agriculture candidate: Cody Simpson

Republican U.S. Senate candidate: Lindsey Graham

Democrat U.S. Senate candidate: Annie Andrews

Republican Horry County Board of Education Chair candidate: Melanie J. Wellons

Democrat State Superintendent of Education candidate: Sylvia Wright

Democrat Comptroller General candidate: Tiffany Boozer