CHAPIN, S.C. – Rep. Ralph Norman, among the most conservative Republicans in the U.S. House, is entering South Carolina’s 2026 governor’s race.
The affluent real estate developer and longtime supporter of former Governor Nikki Haley plans to submit his candidacy documents to state officials this Friday, as confirmed by his campaign to The Associated Press.
Norman has been considering a run for the state’s top position for some time. However, he is unlikely to seek the endorsement from the one Republican whose support holds the most weight in South Carolina GOP politics: President Donald Trump.
At 72, Norman enters the race alongside several declared candidates, such as Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, for next June’s Republican primary. Representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina’s 1st District is also anticipated to announce her candidacy soon. All three have highlighted their connections to Trump, who has remained popular in the state since his significant 2016 primary victory, which helped secure his position as the GOP presidential nominee.
Representing South Carolina’s 5th District, Norman stridently backed Trump during his first term, voting against both House impeachments of the president. During the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, he urged the then-president to declare “Marshall Law” in a text to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows — misstating the term martial law even as he called for upending the peaceful transfer of power.
But in the 2024 presidential campaign, Norman was one of only two House members nationwide to endorse Haley’s candidacy. The former South Carolina governor, who served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador, was his last primary challenger to depart the race, and Norman frequently appeared with her along the campaign trail.
Both elected to the state House in 2004, Norman and Haley became legislative allies, and Norman was among few elected officials who backed Haley’s insurgent, and ultimately successful, 2010 gubernatorial bid. In the 2024 presidential campaign, Norman in part argued that Haley could serve two full terms, while Trump could only go on to serve one.
Norman has frequently operated outside the mainstream even among his home state’s GOP circles. In 2018, as Gov. Henry McMaster — with Trump’s backing — faced several primary challengers as he sought his first full term in office after succeeding Haley as governor, Norman endorsed Catherine Templeton, an attorney who had served Haley’s gubernatorial administration in several capacities.
Norman has long been a member of the House Freedom Caucus, comprised of the chamber’s most conservative members. According to GovTrack.us, the deficit hawk has traditionally ranked as the state’s most conservative U.S. House member and among the top most conservative members nationwide, based on his legislative activity.
He has been in the U.S. House since winning a 2017 special election to replace Mick Mulvaney, whom Trump appointed to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
In 2018, South Carolina Democrats called for felony charges after Norman pulled out his own loaded handgun during a meeting with constituents to make a point about gun safety. Attorney General Alan Wilson — who is also seeking next year’s GOP gubernatorial nomination — declined to press charges.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Norman, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky were fined $500 apiece for not wearing face coverings on the House floor, which was a requirement at the time. They sued Democratic then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, subsequently losing an appeal over the incident.
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Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.
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