Republican Rep. Ralph Norman officially launched his campaign for South Carolina governor on Sunday, promising to challenge the current political system and bring a business-minded approach to state government. Speaking to a crowd in Rock Hill, Norman declared his intention to “shake things up,” vowing to “clean up Columbia” and dismantle what he called the “corrupt political establishment” once and for all.
Norman enters a crowded Republican primary to succeed term-limited Governor Henry McMaster in the heavily Republican state. Other candidates include Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, and the son of Rep. Joe Wilson. Another GOP congresswoman, Rep. Nancy Mace, is expected to decide soon whether to join the race, citing concerns about South Carolina becoming “woke.” The Republican nominee is heavily favored in the general election, where Democrats have not won the governorship since 1998. On the Democratic side, state Rep. Jermaine Jackson is considering a run.
Norman is the third member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus to enter a gubernatorial race this cycle, joining Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Byron Donalds of Florida. Both Biggs and Donalds have received endorsements from former President Donald Trump. Norman’s relationship with Trump is more nuanced; he supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley during the 2024 Republican presidential primaries and only endorsed Trump after Haley withdrew. He has also expressed fiscal concerns about some of Trump’s policy proposals, particularly related to deficit spending, though he voted for the final budget reconciliation bill this month.
A wealthy real estate developer, Norman emphasized his outsider status, saying, “If you’re going to change the system, you cannot be part of the system. I owe nothing to lobbyists. I owe nothing to the Columbia bureaucratic elite. My allegiance is to you, the people of South Carolina.” His platform includes rooting out corruption, imposing term limits on state legislators, and reforming the judicial selection process to give voters more direct control.
Norman’s campaign announced endorsements from Haley and former Senator Jim DeMint. He was introduced at his rally by former North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus and former White House chief of staff to Trump. Norman served nearly a decade in the South Carolina House before winning a 2017 special election to Congress. He represents the 5th District, a fast-growing suburban area near Charlotte, which he won last fall by a wide margin. With his gubernatorial bid, he is stepping away from a safely Republican congressional seat.