South Carolinians voting in the Republican primary election will now have five viable options for governor after state Sen. Josh Kimbrell suspended his campaign Wednesday night.
Kimbrell, who represents parts of Spartanburg County, announced the end of his run for governor in a social media video. The decision comes with two days left in early voting and less than a week until the June 9 primary election.
His name, however, will still appear on the ballot. Candidates must have withdrawn their name by April 10 to have their name removed from the primary ballot, according to the South Carolina Election Commission's 2026 election calendar.
“It was an honor to run for governor of South Carolina,” Kimbrell said. “I think I proved in all the debates that I’ve participated in I had real ideas, and a real record of accomplishment in the Legislature.”
He committed to return to his position in the South Carolina Senate, which is up for election in 2028. He said it was an honor to run for governor.
Kimbrell cited the overall nature of the race as a key factor in the end of his campaign.
"It didn't work out for me this time because of just a myriad of factors, including some of the nastiest politics I've ever experienced in my life," he said.
The 41-year-old participated in a June 1 SCETV-hosted Republican gubernatorial primary debate, which was the final large-scale public appearance in his campaign. There, he thanked Republican candidates U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman for attending the debate after Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson and businessman Rom Reddy canceled their attendance.
"One of the things I would applaud Congressman Norman and Congresswoman Mace is for being here," Kimbrell said Monday night. "Behind us tonight you have the words of the Constitution, which starts with 'we the people,' not we the 30-second TV ad."
Kimbrell had not been invited to the final GOP-hosted Republican primary debate because of a polling threshold; candidates were required to have a "5% minimum polling average requirement" set by the party's committee.
He had consistently placed last in recent polls regarding preferred Republican gubernatorial candidates, which included polls released by The Citadel and The Trafalgar Group. Kimbrell, too, was the only candidate to report less than $2 million in campaign fundraising. As of April 20, 2026, Kimbrell had reported about $80,000 in contributions.
Following Monday's debate, Kimbrell told reporters that he was prepared to back another candidate in the race, although he did not commit to an endorsement. He cycled between Wilson and Reddy.
"I have respect for everybody. I try to be a respectful man. I've tried to do that in every debate, I think I've shown that," he said. " I would say at this point I would narrow it down to I would be supportive — if I'm not governor, obviously I think I would be the best at it — I would support the attorney general or Rom Reddy."
In his Wednesday announcement, Kimbrell said he was still assessing the candidates for his support.
Early voting centers will open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until June 5. A photo ID is required to cast a ballot.
