AP: McMaster wins S.C. governor race

10:15 p.m.

Smith has officially conceded to McMaster, according to a tweet from McMaster chief of staff Trey Walker.

9:40 p.m.

The Associated Press has called the S.C. governor’s race for Henry McMaster.

The New York Times is also calling the race for McMaster.

With 46 percent of the result in, McMaster leads 56 percent to 43 percent for Smith.

9:10 p.m.

With 30 percent of the result in, McMaster’s lead is growing. The incumbent has 55 percent to Smith’s 45 percent, according to the New York Times.

8:50 p.m.

Henry McMaster is starting to build a lead in the S.C. governor’s race.

With 20 percent of the vote in, McMaster leads Smith 54 to 46, according to the Associated Press.

8:01 p.m.

The first results reported by the S.C. Election Commission have McMaster leading Smith with 52 percent of the vote to 48 percent.

7:33 p.m.

The first results in the race to be South Carolina’s next governor are in.

Fox News called the race for incumbent Republican Gov. Henry McMaster shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m. It was the first state governor race the network called on election night.

No officials results in the race were available as of 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

McMaster is facing S.C. Rep. James Smith, D-Richland, in the race to become South Carolina’s next governor.

McMaster was a long-time fixture in the state’s GOP before he succeeded then-Gov. Nikki Haley last year. He previously served as lieutenant governor, attorney general and chairman of the state Republican Party.

Smith has served in the S.C. House representing the Columbia area for 22 years, even when he took a leave of absence to fight in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2008.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 7:33 PM.