SC GOVERNOR RACE AND WHAT McMASTER, SCOTT TO SERVE AS GRAHAM CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS MEANS

David Hucks

A press release put out today confirmed that SC Governor Henry McMaster and U.S. Senator Tim Scott will be campaign co-chairs for U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham in the 2026 cycle.

The below release is clear. What is not clear are the implications of what is not being said, but implied about the race for SC Governor in 2026.

What the Future Holds for the race for SC Governor

Tim Scott has run for and clearly wants to be the President of the United States. The easiest path for him is to first become the SC Governor. He would then likely need to wait from 4 to 12 years to achieve that goal.

U.S. Representative Nancy Mace has already announced a run for SC Governor. She is a strong America First candidate, but so is Tim Scott.

Regardless, it is clear that no candidate can win the 2026 race without Horry County in an off year cycle. The county has become so large, our voters make up a significant portion of the state’s electorate.

Robert Cahaly’s involvement with the Tim Scott campaign is a concern for our news outlet. We reached out to Cahaly this morning, but got no response. We reached out to multiple sources and have yet to hear back.

Julie Emerson owns Lagniappe Communications owns the Tim Scott campaign URL. She is a known Cahaly operative. She is Louisiana State Representative who also heads the Louisiana Ways and Means Committee. She runs the state’s finances.

S.C. Representative Bruce Bannister runs the S.C. Ways and Means Committee. He has close ties to Cahaly and Emerson.

Is Scott connected to Cahaly? MyrtleBeachSC News has a database of 277,000 Horry County voters. We have never needed to use the entire database at once as our news is subdivided by different areas of the county, as far as their interests.

Tonight, we will do a 20 minute podcast on a 360 degree, big picture view of what the press release below means for the future of the race for SC Governor and the state itself.

As an aside, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson and S.C. Lt. Governor Pamela Evette are also likely running. A Trump endorsement likely seals the deal in the race.

The press release follows as below:


Senator Tim Scott: “I will do everything I need to do…to make sure Lindsey Graham remains right where South Carolina needs him: serving the people of our state in the U.S. Senate.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. –  On the heels of reporting more than $15.6 million in his campaign war chest and as momentum builds behind his re-election effort, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham today announced that SC Governor Henry McMaster and U.S. Senator Tim Scott will serve as co-chairmen of the Graham campaign.

The SC governor, who was resoundingly re-elected to a second full term two years ago and recently became the longest serving chief executive in South Carolina history, touted Senator Graham’s record of hard work and conservative results.

“I have never known anyone who works harder for South Carolina than Lindsey Graham,” said SC Governor McMaster. “As our senator, Lindsey Graham is always on the front lines of the fight – where conservatives can count on him to stand with President Trump. Lindsey Graham shares our values and understands our challenges. We can trust him to deliver for conservatives every single time. His broad experience and determination help keep our country strong.

“Thanks to Lindsey Graham, we have a conservative Supreme Court. He is focused with laser precision on shutting down the southern border, and his constituent service operation keeps the federal government responsive to the needs of our people throughout South Carolina,” said SC Governor McMaster. “Not only am I honored to work with Lindsey Graham, I am proud to serve as his campaign co-chairman.”

Senator Scott, who is Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee and has served with Senator Graham since 2013, promised to do everything needed to re-elect Senator Graham.

“Lindsey Graham is a conservative fighter, a colleague, and a friend, and I am proud to endorse his campaign and serve as co-chairman,” said U.S. Sen. Scott.

“For more than a decade, we have served together, and we have worked to confirm conservative judges, stop the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border and make sure the men and women in uniform, who call South Carolina home, have the tools they need to keep us safe and secure. I am proud of Senator Graham’s achievements, I am proud to stand with him, and I will do everything I need to do – and more – to make sure Lindsey Graham remains right where we need him: serving the people of our state in the U.S. Senate.”

SC Governor.
Current S.C. Governor Henry McMaster
SC Governor
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham

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