Meet the Candidates
State Offices
(Constitutional Offices)
In South Carolina, the statewide elected officials like Governor, Treasurer, etc. are called Constitutional Officers. You might win a bar bet with that term, except maybe in Columbia or John Holder’s class. Each is independently elected except Lt. Governor.
They include:
Governor(and Lieutenant Governor, elected on one ticket)
They are elected every four years, in non-Presidential election years (aka ‘Midterms’, so this year, 2026)
Governor
The Governor and Lt. Governor offices – and all other SC ‘Executive’ offices (or Constitutional Officers, as we learned today… and did you win the bar bet?) – are up for election in 2026. Some Republican offices are headed to a Runoff on June 23, 2026.
Incumbent Governor Republican Henry McMaster is term-limited and cannot run in the 2026 election (but he can run again in 2030 – the term limit prohibits holding office in more than two consecutive terms). Here are the Republicans who filed:
Rom Reddy
Nancy Mace
Ralph Norman
Alan Wilson - Republican Nominee
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette - headed to the June 23 Runoff - Republican ballots only
State Sen. Josh Kimbrell
Jacqueline Hicks DuBose
Here are the Democratic Party Candidates:
Jermaine Johnson won the Primary with 60% of the vote. He is currently serving in the SC House.
He spoke at the 2025 SCDP Convention , and again at the 2026 SCDP State Convention, and at our own Dessert Before Dinner party in May.
Jermaine Johnson
Candidate for Governor
PRIMARY WINNER ☑
William (Billy) Webster
Billy Webster came in second in the Primary, with 30% of the vote. Check his website for details, and this TV interview about running for Governor. He spoke at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Candidate for Governor
Mullins McLeod
Candidate for Governor
Mullins McLeod was a distant third in the primary with 11% of the vote.
McCleod appeared at the YCDP County Convention on March 14 and gave this speech. He did not appear at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Lieutenant Governor
The Lieutenent Governor runs on the same ticket as the Governor.
Attorney General
David Stumbo is the Republican nominee.
Richard Hricik
Candidate for Attorney General
As the only Democratic candidate, Hricik skipped the primary and goes straight to the November General Election
Secretary of State
Republican incumbent Mark Hammond, who was re-elected in 2022 with 63.3% of the vote, is seeking a seventh term in office. With no Republican oppostion, he heads straight to the November General Election.
Here are the Democratic Primary results:
Jason Belton
Candidate for Secretary of State
Primary Winner ✅
Jason Belton scored a narrow victory over Edwina Winter.
Belton’s LInkedIn page describes him as the State Operations & Field Director for the SC AFL-CIO, and former Senior Advisor with the SC Legislative Progressive Caucus and SC Crisis Director at National Action Network. He spoke at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Edwina Winter
Candidate for Secretary of State
Winter lost to Belton by a very narrow margin.
Born in England and raised in Ethiopia, Edwina Winter had an extensive international career in construction, telecommunications and energy engineering and infrastructure before planting roots in South Carolina, where she became a real estate professional and began her own consulting firm. She also founded The Celtic Wisdom Center, a nonprofit that creates space for spiritual connection and community gathering both online and in person.
Edwina spoke at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
🍑Commissioner of Agriculture🌽
Cody Simpson won the Republican nomination. Chris Nelum will be on the ballot for the United Citizen’s Party, and Michael Sullens will be on the ballot fo the Libertarian Party.
DeShawn Blanding is the only candidate who filed for the Democratic nomination
DeShawn Blanding
Candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture
Website and social media
Blanding has been a senior Washington representative for the Food and Environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. As the only Democratic candidate, he will skip the primary and go straight to the November General Election.
We had an in-depth conversation with DeShawn in this episode of YCDP TV. And he had another couple of minutes to speak at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Comptroller General
Mark Burkhold has filed for the Republican nomination.
Tiffany Boozer won the Democratic Primary. Details below.
Wikipedia reports that Republican Comptroller Richard Eckstrom, who was re-elected unopposed in 2022, left office on April 30, 2023, following the discovery of a $3.5 billion accounting error.[19] Governor Henry McMaster appointed Democrat Brian J. Gaines to serve the remainder of Eckstrom's term. He is not running for a full term.[20][21]
Tiffany Boozer
Candidate for Comptroller General
PRIMARY WINNER ☑
Tiffany Boozer won the race for Comptroller General with a strong 75% of the vote.
Boozer is a CPA, currently working in the Comptroller General office as the Quality Assurance Manager — an auditor, and she has a passion for it. But since her boss, a Democrat appointed to clean up an accounting mess created by the previous Comptroller, doesn’t want to run, Boozer stepped up to the plate.
We had a great conversation with her on YCDP TV. You’ll be surprised by… well… just about everything. She also spoke at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Bruce K. Cole
Candidate for Comptroller General
(withdrew candidacy for Treasurer)
Bruce K. Cole received 25% of the vote for Comptroller General. He had previously filed for Treasurer, but withdrew from that election and re-filed for Comptroller at the request of Democratic Leadership.
Bruce has a deep resumé of academic and business accomplishments. This would be his first significant political office, and he things it shouldn’t be a political office.
We talked to Bruce for about an hour on YCDP TV - a good chance to get to know the person behind the candidacy. He also spoke at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Superintendent of Education
The incumbent is highly partisan and equally unqualified Republican Ellen Weaver. YCDP TV made a campaign video about her in 2022. She is running for re-election. Baba Amin Ojuok has filed to run for the United Citizens party, which will not have a primary.
Our Democratic Party Candidate is:
Sylvia Wright
Candidate for
Superintendent of Education
PRIMARY WINNER ☑
Sylvia Wright easily won the Democratic Primary with 61% of the vote. She spoke at the SCDP Convention on May 31, 2025.
At the 2026 YCDP Convention, spokesman Frank Maurizio made this speech on her behalf. Sylvia spoke for herself at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Sylvia Wright has over 20 years experience in education which includes teaching along with school and district leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Education, three Master’s Degrees, a Specialist in Educational Leadership, and she is currently working on her Doctor of Education at the University of South Carolina. Mrs. Wright also volunteers at her church and throughout the community.
Lisa Ellis
Candidate for
Superintendent of Education
Lisa Ellis received 39% of the Primary vote. She had just completed her 25th year of education as the Student Activities Director at Blythewood High School in Richland 2. She is also an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston in the Education department. At the 2026 YCDP County Convention, spokesman Evan Lawton made this speech on her behalf. Lisa spoke herself at the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Treasurer
Incumbent state Treasurer, Republican Curtis Loftis, has been embroiled in controversy over a $1.8 billion “accounting error” in state funds. Wikipedia reports that the South Carolina Senate voted to remove Loftis from office in a 33–8 vote in April 2025, but the House did not vote on his removal before the end of their legislative session. Loftis has announced his intention to run again in 2026 and has filed for the primary.
Our Democratic Party nominee is:
Vincent Coe
Candidate for Treasurer
PRIMARY WINNER ☑
Vincent Coe won the Democratic Primary with 56% of the vote. Coe is an attorney and bank officer in Greenville. He addressed the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
Trav Robertson Jr
Candidate for Treasurer
Trav Robertson Jr lost the Primary with 44% of the vote. He is former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, and was former deputy state treasurer. He also served as Barack Obama's South Carolina campaign manager in 2008. He addressed the 2026 SCDP State Convention.
WITHDRAWN
Bruce K Cole
Bruce Cole had filed for the Democratic nomination for SC Treasurer. However, he withdrew his candidacy from that office and challenged Tiffany Boozer in the Primary for Comptroller General. Boozer won that Primary.