(The Center Square) – Five gubernatorial candidates went deep into the night for a final tally and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham charged into November with a primary Election Day win in South Carolina Republican primaries on Tuesday.
Graham, bidding for a fifth term, was leading Mark Lynch 58.5%-27.5% when the race was called with 50% of the votes counted two hours after polls closed. Annie Andrews was a winner in the Democrats’ primary 61.1%-30.7% over Brandon Brown with 58% of the votes counted.
The governor’s race, at time of publication, was too close to call. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, endorsed by second-term Republican President Donald Trump, led early returns ahead of state Attorney General Alan Wilson, U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace, and millionaire businessman Rom Reddy.
Democratic U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, just over a month away from his 86th birthday, easily defeated Frederick Goodwin in the 6th Congressional District in his bid for an 18th term. The race was called about 45 minutes after polls closed.
Other early call winners were among Republicans – Rep. Joe Wilson in the 2nd Congressional District and William Timmons in the 4th Congressional District.
Graham, turning 71 five days after America turns 250, has been in the Beltway since first winning election – first of four terms – to the House of Representatives in 1994. He began his tenure in the Senate in 2002. In this 119th Congress, he’s chairman of the Committee on the Budget and has seats on committees for appropriations; environment and public works; and the judiciary.
His time in the 116th, from January 2019 to January 2021, included chairmanship of the Committee on the Judiciary. Confirmations sailed through for Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, and more than 200 federal judges appointed by Trump.
The South Carolina Election Commission said early voting set a record with 318,600 ballots cast statewide. In the last midterm in 2022, early voting turnout was 100,450.
The presidential cycle in 2024 drew 120,178.
South Carolina has 3,383,591 registered voters.
