Latest news with #JoshKimbrell
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette joins race for South Carolina governor. 5 things to know
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is officially in the GOP race for South Carolina governor after saying for several months she was seriously considering a run to be the state's top executive. She announced her bid Monday afternoon with a video posted on social media. Evette, an Upstate Republican, now joins state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, and Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Lexington County Republican, who have already announced bids for governor. Gov. Henry McMaster cannot run for reelection in 2026. 'For over six years, I haven't been a typical Lieutenant Governor who sits on the sidelines. I've been Gov. McMaster's partner, his right hand, in making South Carolina the conservative success story of America,' Evette said. Evette was tapped to be McMaster's running mate in 2018 after the state constitution was changed for the governor and lieutenant governor to run together as a ticket. She earns $46,000 as lieutenant governor and now seeks an office that pays $106,000 a year. She lives in Traveler's Rest, and is originally from Ohio. She is the first Republican female lieutenant governor. Evette started Quality Business Solutions Inc. (QBS), a payroll, human resources and benefits services firm headquartered in Travelers Rest. Her husband, David, now serves as president of QBS, which is now a division of Vensure HR, a provider of HR services based in Arizona. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Cleveland State University. Pamela and David Evette have three children. She has been McMaster's second-in-command since 2019 when she was sworn-in as lieutenant governor. With McMaster unable to run for reelection in 2026, Evette is a logical successor. 'It makes sense for the lieutenant governor to run because she has a record of statewide service to run on, and having served for nearly eight years and visited much of the state, she has a story to tell of people she's met and challenges she wants to tackle,' said Rob Godfrey, a South Carolina Republican operative who is not working for any campaign this cycle. McMaster has an 66% approval rating in the state among Republicans, according to a Winthrop University Poll released in May. 'I think voters in South Carolina are generally happy about the how Gov. McMaster has done. He's our longest serving governor in state history,' said Alex Stroman, a former S.C. GOP executive director, who is not working for any campaign this cycle. 'Being seen as the third term — kind of maybe a Ronald Reagan, George Bush type of situation — is a reason for running.' Evette was an early backer of Trump's 2024 reelection campaign, standing alongside the president in January 2023 when he rolled out his first set of endorsements in the Palmetto State during an event at the South Carolina State House. Since then, she has been consistently speaking about the work of the Trump administration. During remarks in front of the Lexington County Republican Party in June, Evette spoke about Trump's promises to address immigration issues and close the country's borders. 'I've traveled the country as a surrogate, I've endorsed him at every opportunity, and I have never wavered in my support for the America First movement. Not for one single day,' Evette said in her 1,700-word speech, which included Trump's name 14 times. 'I didn't wait to see how the political winds would blow to endorse him. I didn't attack him on social media and then flip-flop because I needed to save my political career,' Evette added in a veiled shot at U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican considering her own bid for governor. Evette can try to portray herself as a quasi-incumbent by saying she is part of the state's progress during McMaster's time as governor that has included economic growth. 'She's worked closely with Gov. McMaster, and gets the advantage of being able to run as a part of a successful administration,' Godfrey said. She also has the ability to use the office and its official events to indirectly help her campaign. Evette serves as another spokeswoman for the governor's office. Often when appearing with governor, Evette stands directly behind McMaster's shoulder to ensure she is in the camera frame. Also Evette, 57, came onto the public scene in 2018 as McMaster's running mate and isn't a lifelong politician. 'She has a case to make as a business owner, and so I think that is really something, that that really can be beneficial to to her,' Stroman said. Stroman also said Evette has a good ability to work a room. 'I think she has a raw talent unlike I've seen in the state in a long time,' Stroman said. 'She's very good at making connections that are genuine, and unlike that I've seen really from anybody else in the race.' She also comes from the Upstate, a vote-rich part of the state where the GOP dominates. The experience building QBS also may come in handy. 'She has a business background,' Godfrey said. 'It's an an experience that comes from outside government and can allow her to put a fresh set of eyes on an office and think about unique ways to run it.' Evette has lower name recognition than other perceived front-runners, Wilson and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, if she decides to run for governor. The job of lieutenant governor also has no defined role other than becoming the chief executive if the governor was unable to complete his term. A Winthrop University poll found 38% of Republican voters were familiar with her, a mark lower than Mace and Wilson. Evette also may come from the Upstate, but one of the largest county GOP parties also have may not support her. Evette was not selected as a delegate to the State GOP Convention by Greenville County's GOP. She also wasn't a speaker at that county's GOP convention. 'I think it's improved since she was picked, (in the last) six years, but the name ID, I think it's going to be a challenge,' Stroman said. So she will have to spend resources to introduce herself. Godrey said Evette will have to make sure she can raise enough money for her own campaign to give herself a platform to share her story. And she'll have to do it without being on a ticket with McMaster. 'You have to introduce yourself to the state in a new way, not just as a part of an administration or as an office holder who has been in one job for the last eight years, but as someone who has the vision to be the state's chief executive,' Godfrey said.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to make 'special announcement' at Greenville event
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette will make a "special announcement" in Greenville July 14. She plans to discuss the state's future and what comes next for her, according to a press release. The Traveler's Rest native will speak at The Smokestack at Judson Mill at about 6 p.m., with doors open to the public at 5 p.m. More: Upstate lawmaker plans to 'bring people together' in race for SC governor, 'greatest state' Evette was first elected to serve alongside Gov. Henry McMaster in November 2018. She has not formally announced a run for governor in 2026 but has expressed interest in launching a campaign. McMaster's term is up in 2026, and he can not seek reelection. He stepped into the governor's office in 2017, after former Gov. Nikki Haley left the position to join the Trump administration. State Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R-Spartanburg) and Attorney General Alan Wilson have formally announced campaigns for governor. State Rep. Jermaine Johnson (D-Richland) also said at a recent South Carolina Democratic Party event that he assembled an exploratory committee and will consider a gubernatorial campaign. Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@ This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to make 'special announcement' Monday
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Attorney General Alan Wilson enters race for South Carolina governor
COLUMBIA, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — South Carolina's top lawman says he wants to become the state's next chief executive. Attorney General Alan Wilson entered the race for governor on Monday evening, announcing his candidacy at a rally in Lexington County. 'Together we will reach our full potential and capitalize on the opportunities in front of us,' he told supporters gathered at Hudson's Smokehouse. Surrounded by family, the four-term AG was already making big promises if he is elected come November 2026, telling the crowd he will be one to finally eliminate the state's income tax. Wilson is not the only well-known Republican who is interested in the job. Josh Kimbrell, a state senator from Spartanburg County, already announced his candidacy this month. Under a hot summer sun, South Carolina's governor says energy law will keep air conditioners humming Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Congressman Ralph Norman, and Lt. Gov. Pamella Evette have all said they're weighing a run. 'We're gonna look in the short time ahead, and you know, I'm going to let everybody know when the right time it is to talk about something like that,' Evette told Queen City News in February. Either way, Wilson told his backers he is ready for a competitive race. The primary is set for June 2026. 'It won't be easy, but I never shy away from a fight. So, everybody, it's time to get to work.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Alan Wilson, South Carolina's four-term Republican attorney general, enters 2026 governor's race
LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Alan Wilson, the four-term Republican attorney general of South Carolina, kicked off his bid for the state's first open gubernatorial race in 16 years, setting up a 2026 GOP primary contest that's likely to be a heated competition for President Donald Trump's endorsement. Wilson held his debut campaign event at Hudson's Smokehouse in his hometown of Lexington, a barbecue restaurant that has long been a mainstay for both presidential and state-level candidates stumping in South Carolina. Ahead of that official launch, Wilson sat down for a wide-ranging, hourlong interview with The Associated Press, in which he laid out his vision for the gubernatorial campaign, including reforming South Carolina's education system, growing the economy and cutting wasteful spending, in the mold of the Department of Government Efficiency that Trump stood up in his administration's earliest days. 'I'm going to DOGE all of South Carolina government, from the bottom to the top and back down again,' Wilson told the AP on Saturday. 'I want as much sunlight and transparency and accountability injected into the operation of government.' Official filing for the state's 2026 elections doesn't open until March, but several other Republicans have already made moves toward running in South Carolina's first truly open governor's race in 16 years. State Sen. Josh Kimbrell is set to kick off his bid on Saturday. Other likely entrants include Lt. Gov. Pam Evette and Rep. Nancy Mace, who told the AP earlier this year she was 'seriously considering' a run. These potential Republican hopefuls have supported Trump in his own campaigns — although Kimbrell initially backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — and while Trump's role in 2026 races is yet to be known, it could have sway in the state where he's remained popular since his 2016 South Carolina GOP primary win helped cement him as the party's nominee. In 2018, Trump helped Gov. Henry McMaster secure a primary runoff win that set him on the path to becoming South Carolina's longest-serving governor. 'He has been transformational,' Wilson told the AP of Trump, to whom he said he last spoke in December during an event at Mar-a-Lago, saying he would 'absolutely' seek Trump's endorsement. As South Carolina's top prosecutor, Wilson has taken actions to support Trump's political and personal moves. In 2020, he was lead signatory on a letter decrying impeachment proceedings against Trump as 'fundamentally flawed as a matter of constitutional law.' Last year, Wilson traveled to New York to support Trump as he stood trial in a hush money case. Republicans have in recent decades dominated South Carolina's statewide-elected positions, including governor, meaning that some of the most intense political competition has taken place in GOP primaries. McMaster is term-limited. As attorney general, Wilson has been part of dozens of lawsuits against Democratic presidents, suing the Biden administration over issues including vaccine mandates and environmental regulations. Wilson has served three times as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association and has spearheaded other national efforts, including wrangling top prosecutors in all 50 states to urge Congress to craft legislation to guard against the use of artificial intelligence in exploiting children through pornography. He was in the national spotlight throughout 2023, as his office prosecuted Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced attorney currently serving two life prison sentences for the 2021 murders of his wife and son at the family's rural home. Attention on the six-week trial swirled into cultlike status, with daily events livestreamed, and true-crime influencers giving regular updates to their followers from the environs near a small-town courthouse in South Carolina's Lowcountry. 'I wanted the world to see me sitting there owning the success or the failure of that trial, and so whether or not that helps me or hurts me in the next governor's race, I'll let the people decide that answer,' Wilson told the AP, when asked about the case. 'I have stood on the world stage. ... And I believe that under the brightest lights and under the most scrutiny, we've acquitted ourselves very well, and that is something that a governor needs to be able to do in South Carolina.' The son of Rep. Joe Wilson, a longtime South Carolina congressman, Wilson, his wife and their two children live in Lexington, South Carolina. First elected attorney general in 2010, he has served for nearly three decades in the Army National Guard, with the current rank of colonel. ___ Kinnard can be reached at
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SC Bill could Affect Vaping Regulations
Columbia S.C. (WSPA) – A new bill would, if passed, force businesses that sell vaping products to have guidelines and regulations about what can be sold. 'I'm the parent of two middle schoolers, and I can tell you that the prevalence of this kind of product, in middle schools is more than you want to know. It's kind of scary how much this stuff is in middle schools,' Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R – District 11). The bill would require the Attorney Generals' Office to ensure electronic nicotine delivery system products sold in South Carolina are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Attorney General would need to be notified if there are ingredient changes in the devices. 'We got to do something now… We got to stop it right now, because a lot of these products are Chinese products that are coming in, in addition… some of them have marijuana in them, ' said Sen. Billy Garrett (R – District 10). Kimbrell said he supports the bill but recommends an amendment, so South Carolina businesses wouldn't have to go through a long FDA approval. 'My only suggestion would be, let's leave the FDA registry requirement there and find a way to provide provisional, a provisional way for folks operating in our state's borders who are pending that approval not to be shut down,' Kimbrell said. Attorney General Alan Wilson's office said they are not against having a task force but would not be able to take part on that project. 'It's going to cost a lot of money to get that done,' Garrett said. Democratic Senator Russell Ott (D- District 26) said businesses he's spoken with want regulations so they know what rules to follow. 'At the very minimum, I think just having a standardized process by which we say that we we're going to allow for these, but we're not going to allow for those that signals to our retailers what is okay and what's not.' Lawmakers said the state oversight will help regulate products coming from outside the U.S. Lawmakers said the main goal of this bill is to protect children from using nicotine products. Currently in South Carolina it is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to vape. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
