Pamela Evette

The following controversies, allegations, and ethics issues have been publicly reported regarding Pamela Evette’s career and 2026 gubernatorial campaign: Campaign Finance and Ethics Evette’s campaign listed two registered lobbyists as contributors on a state ethics filing, which is prohibited under South Carolina law. Her campaign reportedly misidentified the contributors as retired. Additionally, her campaign made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to the polling firm Co/efficient shortly before the firm released "non-sponsored" surveys showing Evette leading the gubernatorial field; the payments were not initially itemized as polling expenses. PAC Controversies A political action committee (PAC) supporting her candidacy, Patriots for South Carolina, faced an IRS complaint alleging it failed to file required donor disclosures. The same PAC was forced to pull a television advertisement after it used old, out-of-context footage of Governor Henry McMaster to falsely imply he endorsed her 2026 campaign. Allegations also surfaced regarding her campaign falsely implying an endorsement from Donald Trump. Husband’s Business Conduct Documents obtained by media outlets indicate that in 2000, Evette's husband, David Evette, admitted to diverting approximately $94,000 in company funds for personal use while president of Priority One Services. David Evette reached a settlement with his former partners to repay the funds and relinquish his shares; he later characterized the incident as a dispute over a loan repayment. Professional Record Evette has faced criticism regarding her political stance on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). While she has campaigned on eliminating DEI initiatives, opponents have pointed to her former company, Quality Business Solutions, which previously promoted and profited from DEI-related services.