You wouldn’t be alone if you felt South Carolina’s C teams are running for governor.

For years, Democrats controlled stuff throughout the Palmetto State, but they started fizzling in the mid-1980s when challenged with good leadership, new ideas and strongarm politics by the late Republican Gov. Carroll Campbell. By the time Republicans hogtied Democrats in a 1990s redistricting battle, the S.C. House changed to GOP, followed by the Senate a few years later.

What’s happened since is that the enthusiasm and dynamism of the 2000s-era GOP in South Carolina faded as early leaders aged out, the culture wars took on new significance and Trumpism transformed the party from seeming to care about governance to making sure people had enough red hats.

So now comes the 2026 gubernatorial race. At l

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