South Carolina’s next governor will appoint the DNR Board members, shape how the state manages its fisheries, and have a direct say in whether boaters keep paying property taxes on their vessels. The boating industry generates approximately $6.5 billion annually in economic activity across the state and supports over 27,000 jobs. By any measure, it matters who sits in the governor’s office.
And yet, almost nobody running for that office is talking about it.
We went through every boating-related position, bill, vote, and public statement we could find from the 2026 Republican and Democratic gubernatorial primary candidates. We fact-checked each claim against public records, news coverage, and official sources. Here’s where each candidate stands, and where they don’t.
Republican Primary Candidates
Nancy Mace
Of all the candidates in either primary, Mace has the most extensive record on recreational boating.
She co-chaired the Congressional Boating Caucus during her time in Congress and received the National Marine Manufacturers Association’s Legislator of the Year Award in 2022. That same year, she visited Scout Boats and Sportsman Boats at their manufacturing facilities in Summerville to discuss the industry’s economic footprint in the Lowcountry.
On the legislative side, Mace introduced H.R. 7222 in the U.S. House of Representatives, the No Tax on Boat Loan Interest Act of 2026, on January 22, 2026. The bill would allow buyers of American-made recreational boats to deduct up to $10,000 annually in loan interest. The provision extends a deduction from the One Big Beautiful Bill that currently applies to motor vehicles. The deduction phases out for individuals earning above $100,000 and joint filers above $200,000.
She also reintroduced the Protect American Fisheries Act in 2025, legislation that would expand the definition of a federal fishery disaster under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to include economic harm caused by foreign actors, not just environmental collapse. The bill drew endorsements from both the Southern Shrimp Alliance and the SC Shrimpers Association.
Mace signed onto the full SC congressional delegation letter urging Commerce Secretary Lutnick to transfer management of the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery to the states. She also hosted recreational boating industry stakeholders, including the SC Boating and Fishing Alliance, to discuss the PREPARE Act for climate-resilient infrastructure and disaster mitigation for marine businesses.
Alan Wilson
Wilson’s boating-related record is built around fisheries management.
In October 2025, he led a multistate letter alongside attorneys general from Florida and Georgia urging Commerce Secretary Lutnick to transfer South Atlantic red snapper and reef fisheries management from federal to state control. Wilson argued that federal management relied on flawed data and that states are better positioned to manage their own waters and fishing economies. The letter specifically requested the use of exempted fishing permits to facilitate the transition.
He followed up in May 2026 by filing a multistate amicus brief in U.S. District Court defending the experimental fishing permits that created South Carolina’s 2026 recreational red snapper season, which is scheduled to open July 1. The brief argues that EFPs include overfishing safeguards and provide better data than the federal Marine Recreational Information Program, which the states contend does not account for regional differences.
Ralph Norman
Norman signed onto the full SC congressional delegation letter urging state management of the snapper-grouper fishery. He also publicly celebrated the approval of the 2026 red snapper EFP season, stating he was proud to support giving South Carolina greater control over its waters.
Beyond fisheries, Norman’s campaign has focused on infrastructure. He has stated that 50% of SC’s roads need to be completely rebuilt. Government efficiency and term limits round out his platform. He has not addressed boating infrastructure, boat ramps, or DNR funding on the campaign trail.
Rom Reddy
Reddy has not taken any boating-specific positions, but his candidacy has a coastal regulatory angle worth noting.
A self-funding businessman from Isle of Palms, Reddy entered the race partly because of an ongoing legal battle with state regulators over a seawall he built to protect his beachfront home. He was fined and ordered to remove the wall, though a judge has allowed it to remain while litigation continues. Reddy has framed the experience as an example of bureaucratic overreach, describing it as “the administrative state run amok.”
His broader platform centers on eliminating the state income tax, shrinking state government, and cutting regulations. He founded DOGE SC, a government efficiency PAC. His BallotReady profile includes a proposal to privatize toll road construction and monetize roadway rights, but lists no positions on boating, fishing, waterways, or DNR.
Pamela Evette
Evette was present at Governor McMaster’s 2023 signing of the Boating Safety and Education bill (S. 96), which requires boating safety certificates for operators born after July 1, 2007. The bill passed the House 97-7 and the Senate 43-0.
Her campaign platform focuses on aligning with Trump’s America First agenda, supporting law enforcement, and promoting small business. No boating, fishing, waterway, or DNR-related positions appear on her campaign website or in coverage of her campaign events.
Josh Kimbrell
Kimbrell is a personal boater. He has spoken about afternoons on Lake Bowen where he boats and water-skis. His campaign platform centers on eliminating the state income tax, expanding school choice, and reducing regulations. No boating or fishing-specific policy positions appear in any coverage of his campaign.
Democratic Primary Candidates
Mullins McLeod
McLeod is the only candidate in either primary with an explicit boat tax position on his platform.
An avid fisherman and boater, McLeod has fished the Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series, both inshore and offshore, and lists boating and fishing among his regular outdoor activities.
His platform page includes a dedicated section on gas, car, and boat taxes. The boat tax position is straightforward: end boat taxes. He also proposes either suspending gas taxes or requiring the DOT to deliver a clear accountability plan showing how gas tax revenue translates to road improvements. Auto taxes would be ended or reduced.
Billy Webster
Webster brings a conservation background to the race. He chaired the board of The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina, the state’s largest conservation organization. He has listed protecting clean water and conserving natural resources as top campaign priorities and has described SC’s natural resources as under threat from unmanaged development.
He has also described what he loves about SC in terms any angler would recognize: going from trout fishing on the river in the morning to saltwater fishing on the coast in the afternoon. But he has not made any boating or fishing-specific policy proposals.
Jermaine Johnson
Johnson’s campaign focuses on mental health investment, infrastructure, and affordable housing. He has not addressed boating, fishing, or waterway issues in any available campaign materials.
Justin Bennett
A minor candidate with no visible policy platform addressing boating, fishing, or waterway issues.
The Issue That Connects Them: Snapper-Grouper Fisheries Management
If there is one boating and fishing issue that cuts across multiple candidates and both levels of government, it is the fight over who manages South Carolina’s snapper-grouper fishery.
The short version: SC’s full congressional delegation, including both Mace and Norman, signed a letter urging Commerce Secretary Lutnick to transfer management of the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery from federal agencies to the states. Wilson led the parallel effort at the attorney general level, filing the multistate letter in October 2025 and the amicus brief in May 2026 defending the experimental fishing permits that created SC’s upcoming red snapper season.
The states’ argument is straightforward: federal fisheries management under NOAA relies on data collection methods that don’t reflect regional differences. States can do better with their own surveys, enforcement, and seasons. The federal side counters that the permits could lead to overfishing.
This matters for the governor’s race because South Carolina’s next governor will appoint the members of the DNR Board. The DNR Board oversees how the state implements fisheries management, including how it uses these experimental permits, how it collects population data, and how it sets seasons and limits. If the push for state management succeeds, the governor’s DNR appointments will directly shape what recreational fishing looks like in SC waters for years to come.
Most candidates haven’t framed it that way on the trail, but the connection is real.
What It Means for SC Boaters
Most candidates in both primaries have not made boating a campaign issue. Mace’s legislative record on boat taxes and fisheries, Wilson’s fisheries management fight, and McLeod’s explicit boat tax plank stand out because so few others have said anything at all.
But the next governor’s decisions will touch every part of the state’s boating economy, from DNR Board appointments and fisheries seasons to boat tax policy and waterway infrastructure funding. South Carolina’s approximately $6.5 billion boating industry does not run on autopilot. Somebody’s going to be making these calls starting in January 2027.
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Sources
Nancy Mace
- Boating Industry, “NMMA Names Congressional Boating Caucus Co-Chairs for 118th Congress,” February 2023. Link
- Boating Industry, “Congressional Boating Caucus Co-Chair Visits Scout Boats Facility,” May 2022. Link
- GovInfo, “H.R. 7222: No Tax on Boat Loan Interest Act of 2026,” January 2026. Link
- Quiver Quantitative, “Rep. Nancy Mace Introduces Legislation to Eliminate Taxes on Boat Loan Interest in South Carolina,” January 2026. Link
- ABC News 4, “Mace Reintroduces Bill Aimed at Protecting SC’s Fishing Industry,” December 2025. Link
- NMMA, “Rep. Nancy Mace Highlights Importance of PREPARE Act for Small Businesses, Coastal Communities,” April 2022. Link
Alan Wilson
- WPDE, “SC AG Seeks State Control Over Red Snapper Fisheries Management,” October 2025. Link
- E&E News / Politico, “South Atlantic States Want Feds to Cede Oversight of Red Snapper,” October 2025. Link
- WMBF News, “Alan Wilson Backs Permits Expanding Red Snapper Season in SC, Other States,” May 2026. Link
Ralph Norman
- Rep. Ralph Norman, Press Release on Red Snapper EFP Season, May 2026. Link
- WIS TV, “Rep. Ralph Norman Enters 2026 Race for SC Governor,” July 2025. Link
Rom Reddy
- Post and Courier, “Rom Reddy Outlines SC Governor Campaign,” March 2026. Link
- WBTV, “4 Republican SC Governor Candidates Debate,” May 2026. Link
- BallotReady, “Rom Reddy: Candidate Profile.” Link
Pamela Evette
- Governor.sc.gov, “Governor McMaster Signs Boating Safety and Education Bill,” July 2023. Link
- Pamela Evette for Governor, “About.” Link
Josh Kimbrell
- Post and Courier, “Josh Kimbrell: Governor, Heritage, South Carolina,” May 2026. Link
- WBTV, “4 Republican SC Governor Candidates Debate,” May 2026. Link
Mullins McLeod
- McLeod for SC Governor, “About Mullins McLeod.” Link
- The McLeod Platform, “Gas, Car & Boat Taxes.” Link
Billy Webster
- ABC Columbia, “Greenville Businessman Billy Webster Announces Run for Governor,” March 2026. Link
- Anderson Magazine, “Meet the Gubernatorial Candidate: Billy Webster,” May 2026. Link
- WSOC, “Candidate Guide: South Carolina Governor (D),” May 2026. Link
Jermaine Johnson
- WSOC, “Candidate Guide: South Carolina Governor (D),” May 2026. Link