Brack: 2026 S.C. elections will be huge (and Sanford’s back!)

APRIL 10, 2026 | What’s ahead in the 2026 primary and general elections for South Carolina could easily result in the biggest political changes in decades at statewide, congressional and legislative levels.

Hundreds of candidates filed to run across the Palmetto State. This will give voters more choices than they’ve had in years. One way or another, things are going to get shaken up — and not just because of the national frustration with politics. More choices mean more changes.

Perhaps the biggest reflection of the bubbling undercurrent of change is in the — surprise — last-minute return of former Gov. Mark Sanford as a congressional candidate in the First Congressional District. He’s already held the seat on two occasions. Now, he is one of 11 candidates in the June primary that, up until his reappearance, seemed like a relatively dull race of known and unknown politicos distinguished by little more than various MAGA shades of red.

Sanford, however, is not remotely associated with MAGA red. He is, if you think of a color, a deep navy blue that reflects his core belief in fiscal conservatism and paying down the explosive national debt. Sanford’s appearance in the mix is heartening because it offers GOP voters a real way to get back to fiscal and conservative basics without having to bow to the increasingly shaky altar of Donald Trump’s narcissistic, bullying politics.

The other big deal about the results of this year’s candidate filings is that the S.C. Democratic Party delivered candidates in ways that haven’t been seen in a generation or two. Democrats filed in each of the state’s 124 S.C. House districts, seven statewide constitutional offices, seven congressional districts and the U.S. Senate race that’s up for grabs. Again, this means voters will have more choices. While the GOP supermajority in the S.C. House likely won’t wither away, it will face fresh challenges — which is healthy for a democracy that has been ripped and torn since Trump returned to national office.

In the GOP governor’s primary in June, voters will have seven candidates to sift through. As it stands early, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette appears to be taking more of a frontrunner’s stance, as Attorney General Alan Wilson and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace seem to be struggling to break out of their silos of support. U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman is charging along, but his campaign to end corruption in Columbia seems disingenuous and thin because guess which party has been in control for 20 years — his Republican Party. It’s almost as if he’s running against his own party. Three other candidates, including Isle of Palms rich guy Rom Reddy, are struggling to find traction.

On the Democratic side, voters will have a three-way choice between S.C. Rep. Jermaine Johnson, Charleston lawyer Mullins McLeod and Upstate businessman Billy Webster, whose last-minute addition is shaking things up a little, too. Webster, once a chief of staff to former S.C. Gov. Richard Riley, worked in the Clinton administration as the president’s director of scheduling. He brings significant policy experience, which should reshape how voters make picks in the primary.

The state’s U.S. Senate contest is getting attention, too. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has the backing of Trump, but faces six challengers, including Paul Dans who helped to craft the uber-conservative Project 2025 plan to change the U.S. government. On the Democratic side, former First Congressional District candidate and physician Annie Andrews will face Brandon Brown and Kyle Freeman in a contest being waged through social media.

If you want to have your say in this season’s primaries, make sure to register to vote. Election Day is June 9.

Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com