Combative or collaborative? What style will the next SC governor bring to office
During his time in office, Gov. Henry McMaster’s mantra has been to “communicate, collaborate and cooperate” as he’s worked to have a good relationship with the General Assembly.
McMaster’s approach with lawmakers was different than his predecessors, Govs. Nikki Haley and Mark Sanford, who have clashes with the state Legislature.
In the GOP primary race to succeed the state’s longest-serving governor, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and Attorney General Alan Wilson, will mostly have similar stances including eliminating the income tax, bringing DOGE to South Carolina, supporting President Donald Trump and fighting against illegal immigration.
But each will offer their own personality, style and approach to governing.
The relationship with the legislature is key for any governor because under the state constitution, most of the power in the state lies with the General Assembly. The governor has the power of the bully pulpit.
“We’re still a legislatively driven state. A gubernatorial candidate can make a lot of promises to do things, but when the rubber meets the road, does that person have the ability to push forward on an agenda with the legislature to make that happen?” said Dave Wilson, a South Carolina political strategist not working for any campaign for governor this cycle.
Whoever wins the GOP nomination will be the favorite to win the general election in November 2026 because the state is reliably Republican. So GOP primary voters will have to weigh a candidate’s style or approach, too.
How GOP candidates will approach the job
When the next governor is sworn in, they’ll most likely have a General Assembly controlled by the Republican lawmakers who have more power in the legislative driven state. But governors have the power to advocate for certain policy positions and objectives. Haley for years advocated for required on-the-record voting for all bills and each section of the budget. She eventually signed the requirement into law the first year she was in office.
“(The) governor has a strong bully pulpit and has the ability to do certain things within the executive branch, but in the state of South Carolina, if you don’t have a good working relationship with the legislature, time has shown us, with Mark Sanford and Nikki Haley, that there are only certain things that can be accomplished, because the working relationship between those two branches is vital to actually getting things done,” Dave Wilson said.
The five GOP contenders all have their individual styles and approaches.
Evette, who was picked to be McMaster’s lieutenant governor during the 2018 campaign, told The State she would continue the governor’s mantra.
“If you look at President Trump’s administration, from Tulsi Gabbard to Secretary (Robert) Kennedy Jr., I mean, he does cooperate and communicate and collaborate, and I think that’s how you get things done,” Evette said in an interview last month at the SC GOP Silver Elephant Gala. “I decided to throw my hat in the ring because I wanted to continue the legacy that Gov. McMaster and I have had over these past seven years.”
Alan Wilson told reporters during a news conference at the State House in July that leadership is the ability to get people to come to your way of thinking by not beating them over the head. He added being a proponent for reforms does not require bringing chaos.
“Leadership is the ability to get people to do what you want them to do, because they want to do it,” Alan Wilson said. “If you want to come into the South Carolina Legislature, where you would probably have 75 to 80% support, and you want to come down and beat people over the heads with your agenda, without giving them buy in, without bringing them to the table, without building consensus, you’re not going to be a successful governor.”
Mace, who served three years in the state legislature, said she’s willing to speak to anyone who wants to work with her. But she also showed she would be willing to fight. During her campaign kickoff speech she said the establishment would need to “buckle up” and she wasn’t running to make friends.
“They’re not gonna like everything that I come out with, but I have always had an open door policy,” Mace told reporters. “I am willing to work with you if you are willing to work with me. And that is my mantra.”
Norman, who has been a hard-line conservative in Congress who helped create the S.C. House Freedom Caucus, which has had a contentious relationship with House leadership, might be similar to Haley’s style. He already has the endorsement of the 2024 presidential candidate who served as S.C.’s governor for six years.
“In a Norman administration, we will do battle when we have to do battle,” Norman said in an interview.
He said he would push for an “austere” budget that focuses on education, infrastructure and safety.
“As governor, I can’t make laws, but I can sure advocate for laws. And secondly, I can use the veto pen,” Norman said. “You will see me using the veto pen far more than most of my predecessors.”
Kimbrell, during his campaign kickoff, said he would use a collaborative approach to governing saying he would have weekly meetings with legislative leaders and budget chairmen.
“I view the role of the governor is to be the quarterback to be part of the team, not the bully, not the guy saying, do it my way or the highway or not just say, well, send me something. I’ll sign it,” Kimbrell said. “We need to like each other. We need to talk together. They would need to tell me what they want to do. I want to tell them what I want to do. Let’s figure out how to do it. There needs to be a collaborative team South Carolina approach. We need to work together, get stuff done together.”
What do voters want to see?
GOP primary voters each will have to make a decision of what approach or style they will support.
Lee Edwards, 67, of Charleston, is precinct officer for the Republican Party and recruits candidates locally.
He said he doesn’t want someone who will cave to whatever the legislature wants, but doesn’t necessarily want someone who is combative.
“When they work against the legislature, what are they going to get done? What this whole point?” Edwards said.
Jeanette Dubanoski, a retiree who moved to Horry County from Minnesota in 2023, volunteered for the Trump campaign in 2024. She wants someone who will bring down crime, improve education and have a smaller government.
“Whatever it takes to get it done. I don’t want someone just patting each other on the back and nothing gets done,” said Dubanoski of Surfside.
“Some of them want to be more establishment and we’re not looking for that. We’re looking more MAGA and we’re looking more DOGE,” Dubanoski said.
Former state Rep. Garry Smith, a Republican who now lives in Aiken County, was in the state legislature for 20 years, experiencing the Sanford and Haley years as well as McMaster’s first full term.
He said having a relationship with the legislature is important.
“That was an issue and a problem that Mark had,” Smith said. “And I think that was a big shortcoming of Mark. I like Mark. I think he got a lot of big issues out there on the table. He pushed a lot of things to get done, but he had a problem actually making it happen.”
U.S Rep. Sheri Biggs, a first-term Republican in the 3rd Congressional District, has said she has no plans right now to endorse in the governor’s race.
“I’m looking for someone who is willing to sacrifice and to serve our state, not to be there to make a grand stand or make a mark in their own personal career. It’s for me, it’s about the state and it’s about my district,” Biggs told reporters shortly before her inaugural Salute to Liberty Event.
Cobb Oxford, 66, of Anderson, is semiretired and owns a farm where he boards horses. While waiting for the Biggs’ Salute to Liberty event to begin, he pointed out that power in the state is in the legislature and a healthy relationship with lawmakers will be key.
“I think that’s important,” Oxford said “Obviously it’s important because that’s where, like I said, that’s where the power of this state is in those two bodies.”
Cecil Talley, 69, of Greenwood, said he is supporting Norman’s bid pointing to his business background. Norman has been known for pushing more conservative policy. When the U.S. House had its final vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill, Norman was a late holdout until he received assurances from Trump on ending tax credits for green energy projects.
“I don’t like him to have to come around. I like collaboration, cooperation on the front end. But you don’t want the dishrag either. You don’t want somebody (who) doesn’t have a backbone,” Talley said.
For Talley, he also said substance will matter too, while taking a jab at the current governor.
“I’m really looking for more substance to that style. I mean, he was the easy going kind of fella, but I think he missed some opportunities sometimes to be quite as vociferous as he needed to be, sometimes he’ll be a little mild,” Talley said of McMaster.
