2020 election denier elected to lead Lexington County GOP
The director of the Columbia-based Women for Trump group who said she believes in false claims of widespread 2020 election fraud was elected the new chair of the Lexington County Republican Party on Saturday.
Pamela Godwin ran unopposed for chair, running on a “Save SC” candidate slate with Mark Weber, Richard Gehling and John Allen, who each won the three vice chair positions.
Former state Rep. Todd Atwater, who originally challenged Godwin for chair, withdrew shortly before the election, allowing Godwin to win the uncontested race.
Godwin told The State that her election was about fighting “cronyism” in politics.
She said she sided with information pushed by SC Safe Elections, an organization that advocates for measures to ensure confidence in the state’s elections run by Laura Scharr, who has called for an audit of South Carolina’s 2020 election results and alleges former President Donald Trump’s November victory in the state was far larger than what official results showed.
“It was obvious. It was overt fraud, a lot of ballot problems, and, yes, we had election fraud and the election was stolen,” Godwin said.
Trump carried South Carolina in 2020 by nearly 12 percentage points, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham won the state by 10 points. Republicans also gained five seats in the State House, and the GOP flipped the coastal 1st Congressional District red.
Trump also won Lexington County in 2020 with 64% of the vote. In 2021, the Lexington County Republican Party called for an audit of the 2020 results. The S.C. GOP refused the request.
Trump’s own attorney general, Bill Barr, said there’s no evidence of widespread election fraud.
“I disagree with him because I looked at the data, the documentation, and I believe he’s wrong,” Godwin said.
Godwin’s slate has connections to the My SC GOP group, which took over the Greenville County Republican Party. That group’s takeover in Greenville led the state Republican Party to take over the process of reorganizing the county party’s precincts and to manage the county party’s convention, the Post and Courier reported. It also led to the formation of the Fourth District Republican Club for mainstream Republicans in the Upstate.
The Republican Party also has seen years of turmoil within the Horry County GOP. During the Horry County party convention Saturday, Trump sent a message calling for unity.
A state party official speaking on background said the split that is occurring in the party is a personality problem, with some people co-opting the MAGA (Make America Great Again) ideology as a branding tool.
Godwin said her election, along with her slate, is a message to the party establishment for increased transparency and accountability.
“This is about the people speaking out and saying we want our party back, we want to work hard, we want to have fun while doing it, we want this to be one awesome party, growing and strengthening it with everyone working together and no divided factions,” Godwin said.
Godwin, who considers herself a constitutional conservative, has done party work for seven to eight years, including working on campaigns and making phone calls. She has been the grassroots director and northern district director for two years.
“I’ve done a little bit of everything,” Godwin said. “I’ve always been a leader. I’ve been a leader of various groups, and I’m very involved in getting the word out on the Republican platform.”
This isn’t the first time the Godwin family has been in news when it comes to Lexington County Republican Party events.
Godwin’s husband, Angus, was accused of slapping another man at a Lexington County GOP holiday gathering in 2021. Angus Godwin was charged with assault and battery. The case is still pending, Pamela Godwin said.
Outgoing Lexington County GOP Chairman Craig Caldwell would not comment on what the election of Godwin’s slate means for the party. He said the winner of party leadership ultimately depends on who shows up to conventions.
“They’re the ones who whipped the most votes,” Caldwell said. “At the end of the day, I hope the new leadership does what’s right and get all sides in involved. Time will tell.”
