Pamela Sue Evette (née Gajoch; born August 28, 1967) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the 93rd lieutenant governor of South Carolina since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was the CEO of Quality Business Solutions in Upstate South Carolina before she was elected. Evette is the first lieutenant governor to be elected on the same ticket as the governor.
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Early life, education, and career
Evette is the granddaughter of Polish immigrants. Born in Ohio, Evette earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Cleveland State University. Evette worked as an accountant until moving to Travelers Rest, South Carolina in 2005, where she founded and acted as CEO of Quality Business Solutions, a payroll, HR and back-office solutions software firm.
Political career
Lieutenant governor of South Carolina
She defeated Mandy Powers Norrell in the state's gubernatorial election on November 6, 2018, as the running mate of Henry McMaster. Evette took office as South Carolina's second female lieutenant governor (the first being Nancy Stevenson from 1979 until early 1983 under Richard Riley) on January 9, 2019, and first Republican woman to hold the office.
Evette spent much of her time in office traveling the state, giving speeches and addresses that supported Governor Henry McMaster. Evette said in an interview with the Associated Press that she had "doubled the potential footprint" of the governor's office through communicating with lawmakers at various events across the state.
In October 2019, Evette and PalmettoPride launched a statewide initiative to encourage South Carolinians to clean up their communities. Later that same month, Evette was involved in a car collision in Greer, South Carolina when her driver inappropriately activated his flashing blue and red lights to go through an intersection. Evette's driver was cited, and Evette was uninjured.
In 2020, Evette served as chair of the South Carolina Governor’s Complete Count Commission for the 2020 Census. In July 2020, Evette participated in the SC7 Expedition to raise awareness for protecting South Carolina’s natural resources and floodwater prevention.
In November 2022, McMaster and Evette won reelection.
In 2023, Evette joined thousands of students at a rally supporting school choice at the state capitol.
On December 12, 2023, McMaster underwent an outpatient heart procedure to correct paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, an intermittent irregular heartbeat. Evette served as acting governor for two hours. The South Carolina Constitution provides that the lieutenant governor may take executive action in case of emergency if the governor is temporarily disabled.
In February 2024, Evette advocated for the expansion of home visit programs for SC moms and babies. On May 6, 2024, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and Evette announced the "Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders" Youth Employment Initiative to promote the importance of youth employment and to create a job board made for teenagers.
2026 gubernatorial campaign
On July 14, 2025, Evette announced her candidacy for governor of South Carolina in 2026.
In the first round of the Republican primary, Evette placed first. She then advanced to a runoff election with state Attorney General Alan Wilson, and subsequently lost.
Political positions
2020 presidential election
Evette is a supporter of President Donald Trump and has criticised other Republicans for not supporting the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Congressional redistricting
Evette is a supporter of Republican attempts to redistrict South Carolina's Congressional map.
Personal life
Evette is married to David Evette, with whom she has one son. She also has one son and one daughter from a previous marriage.
Evette and her husband attend a Catholic Church in Taylors, South Carolina.