Rep. Bob Inglis (S.C.) lived to fight another day by garnering enough support to force a runoff with Spartanburg County Solicitor Trey Gowdy in the 4th district GOP primary Tuesday.

But considering Gowdy’s strong performance, it’s hard to see how Inglis will find enough votes to get over the 50 percent mark in the June 22 runoff and win another term in his safe Republican seat.

With just more than 85 percent of precincts reporting, The Associated Press declared a runoff was necessary with Gowdy at 43 percent and Inglis at 26 percent.

Gowdy dominated Inglis by more than 40 points in his Spartanburg County base, while staying competitive with the Congressman in his home county of Greenville.

Gowdy found traction this cycle by attacking the six-term Congressman for moving too far to the center during his many years in Washington, D.C. It’s a message that Gowdy has been able to make stick because he’s amassed a war chest that has nearly matched Inglis.

If, and likely when, Inglis loses the June runoff, his defeat will only add to the anti-incumbent storyline this cycle.