South Carolina Republican Party

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity met Wednesday night in the only scheduled televised debate of the Pennsylvania governor's race, ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The hourlong forum, hosted by abc27 and moderated by anchor Dennis Owens, aired across several Nexstar-owned stations statewide and streamed online. Libertarian candidate Ken Krawchuk was not invited.

Shapiro, a popular incumbent and potential 2028 presidential contender, enters the race with a large fundraising and polling lead, touting first-term accomplishments including infrastructure repairs, business recruitment, and utility cost caps. Garrity, the state treasurer and Trump-endorsed Republican seeking to become Pennsylvania's first female governor, used the debate to raise her profile and press Shapiro on affordability, school choice, and his handling of a sexual harassment settlement involving a former aide. Both candidates have faced scrutiny over shifting positions on data center development, a contentious issue with bipartisan voter opposition. Shapiro's campaign has sought to tie Garrity closely to Trump, while she has pushed back on characterizations of her 2020 election comments. Analysts note debates rarely shift outcomes in races with such a wide polling gap.

Gray Media, South Carolina's largest television ownership group, is requiring candidates in this fall's gubernatorial and U.S. Senate debates to sign contracts barring them from joining rival broadcasters' debates without Gray's written consent. The clause, confirmed by multiple campaign sources, could limit other outlets' ability to host their own televised debates before the Nov. 3 general election.

Gubernatorial nominees Alan Wilson (R) and Jermaine Johnson (D) have tentatively set an Oct. 6 debate with Gray station WIS-TV, Gray's sixth debate broadcast since April. A Senate debate between Darline Graham and Annie Andrews remains under negotiation. Andrews' campaign said it signed Gray's pledge but has also accepted invitations from other stations, including SCETV and Nexstar- and Hearst-owned outlets, raising questions about how the exclusivity clause applies to debate clips and other coverage.

The dispute follows Gray's earlier partnership with the state GOP on primary debates and comes amid broader competition between Gray, Nexstar, and other networks for control of political debate coverage nationally.

Governor Katie Hobbs has spent more than $10 million on television advertising against Republican challenger Andy Biggs, who has yet to air a traditional TV campaign and remains largely confined to online and social media messaging. The gap has sparked frustration among Arizona Republicans, prompting state party Chair Sergio Arellano to address concerns in a newsletter, promising "more ads are on the way" while defending a digital-first strategy as fiscally conservative.

Former state party chair Gina Swoboda criticized the approach, arguing available funds should be spent now rather than held back, warning that even loyal Republican voters are being saturated with Democratic messaging. Arellano said the newsletter responded to grassroots frustration over what he called one-sided media coverage of Hobbs. Biggs is expected to get a seven-figure ad buy soon, though it would still trail Hobbs' spending significantly. Analysts note the imbalance risks letting Hobbs define Biggs to voters before he can respond.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), term-limited and widely viewed as a likely 2028 presidential contender, began a three-day swing through South Carolina and North Carolina, his fourth visit to the early primary state. State Democrats say the trip serves a dual purpose: giving Newsom exposure to primary voters while boosting volunteer energy and attention for state legislative races ahead of a critical election roughly 60 days away. Newsom is campaigning in more than 10 counties, including six that President Trump carried in 2024, focusing on competitive state House districts in the Lowcountry region.

Democrats say they are fielding candidates in all 124 state House districts for the first time in about 50 years, and are using visits from potential 2028 contenders like Newsom, Andy Beshear, and Wes Moore as surrogate appearances to energize grassroots organizing. South Carolina Republicans dismissed the visit, arguing Newsom's record makes him an unappealing messenger for the state's voters.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder says the party has erased its debt and built a $30 million coordinated campaign since he took over in March 2025, up from a $2 million effort under his predecessor. He credits a restructuring that moved staff out of Austin and into Dallas, Houston, Eagle Pass, and Amarillo, along with recruiting more than 1,000 precinct chairs, as key to preparing for competitive races ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2030 redistricting cycle.

Scudder also addressed the contested Senate primary won by State Representative James Talarico over U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, arguing Talarico now has a party infrastructure Beto O'Rourke lacked in his narrow 2018 loss. On data centers, he accused Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton of feigning opposition while Abbott's administration has committed roughly $1 billion in taxpayer incentives to the industry, calling their posture insincere and warning it could hurt Republican turnout in rural Texas, where the issue has become politically sensitive.

State Sen. Eric Barlow won Wyoming's Republican gubernatorial primary, defeating President Trump's endorsed candidate, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, along with retired Marine Col. Brent Bien and rodeo producer Curt Blake. Barlow, a rancher, veterinarian, and former Wyoming House speaker, prevailed despite attacks from the party's right flank labeling him too moderate and despite Degenfelder having nearly matched his campaign fundraising. Degenfelder had Trump's backing as well as support from Rep. Harriet Hageman, who separately won Wyoming's U.S. Senate primary the same night.

Barlow will face Democrat Kenneth Casner and Constitution Party candidate Rebecca Bextel in November, but is heavily favored in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats roughly 7-to-1 and no Democrat has won the governorship since 2006. The race is one of several open contests in Wyoming this cycle, following term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon's departure and Sen. Cynthia Lummis' decision not to seek reelection, creating simultaneous open races for governor, Senate, and the state's House seat for the first time in over three decades.

Darline Graham Nordone's narrow runoff win over Rep. Ralph Norman to permanently fill her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate seat is prompting South Carolina strategists to argue the state's 2028 Republican presidential primary could be wide open. Graham Nordone won 52.5% to 47.5% despite trailing Norman on personal spending, benefiting instead from heavy outside spending, including more than $827,000 from Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC and $1 million from a pro-green-energy PAC opposing Norman. Trump endorsed Graham Nordone, while Nikki Haley backed Norman, echoing 2024 primary alignments.

Strategists disagree on what the close margin signals: some say it shows South Carolina isn't fully "MAGA-tized" and remains competitive for non-Trump-aligned candidates, while others attribute the result mainly to spending disparities rather than ideology. Vice President JD Vance currently leads 2028 GOP primary polling well ahead of Marco Rubio and Donald Trump Jr., but observers caution his advantage isn't guaranteed to hold once multiple candidates compete directly in the state. Graham Nordone now faces Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November, with the race notable as South Carolina's first-ever matchup guaranteeing a woman senator.