Editor’s Note: This story updates an earlier version published Friday in the full issue of Statehouse Report.
President Donald Trump on Friday upended South Carolina’s Republican race for governor with a rare dual endorsement that effectively hedged his once-exclusive support for Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, giving state Attorney General Alan Wilson a big boost heading into the contest’s final weekend.
Trump announced his newly split support in a social media post that called both candidates “MAGA and America First all the way.”
“It’s a wealth of riches – With either one you can’t go wrong,” Trump said. “Vote for Pam or Alan — They will not let you down!”
The move followed a mid-week Washington Post report suggesting that Trump was getting cold feet about his earlier “complete and total” endorsement of Evette as public and private polling appeared to show Wilson pulling ahead in the race.
Wilson touted the endorsement in a release issued just moments after Trump’s post went live.
“I’ve proudly stood with President Trump from the very beginning, defended him when others would not, and fought alongside him against the radical left,” Wilson said. “I am deeply honored to have his support.”
For her part, Evette responded quietly, sidestepping any direct mention of the news and reminding voters of her tight, 29% to 26% plurality win in the first round of voting.
“I was proud to come in first as President @realDonaldTrump’s endorsed candidate for governor on June 9th,” Evette said in a social media post. “Looking forward to doing it again on June 23rd.”
But the blow to Evette’s endorsement advantage only deepened as the evening wore on, with the state’s popular junior U.S. Sen. Tim Scott adding his name to the growing list of Wilson supporters.
“I’m proud to endorse Alan for governor because he will lead with humility, courage and an optimistic vision for our state,” Scott said in a late Friday release.
Since first-round voting ended on June 9, Wilson has won the backing of three of the four GOP candidates who failed to make the runoff, including 5th District U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who captured 17% of the vote in his third-place finish.
Evette looks to put prior Trump controversy to bed
Earlier in the day before Trump’s dual endorsement, Evette focused on putting to bed a controversy kicked off by Trump’s prior exclusive endorsement, in which he said that he expected her to pick the governor’s son, Henry McMaster Jr., as her running mate.
“To be very clear, and as I’ve said before and will say again, Henry D. McMaster Jr. will not be my running mate,” Evette said Thursday in a campaign video before rattling off the names of nine people she’s considering for the position.
She said her potential running mates were: former Trump Commerce Department official Joe Semsar; former state Rep. Adam Morgan; current state Reps. Jordan Pace, Patrick Haddon, Tommy Pope, Case Brittain and James Teeple; Florence attorney Hood Temple; and Horry County Councilman Tyler Servant.
Meanwhile, the Wilson campaign worked to counter-program Evette’s announcement by spotlighting a state government performance and efficiency audit he’s asked his already-announced running mate, Florence Sen. Mike Reichenbach, to lead if elected.
“While my opponent is still delaying making a decision on who she will pick as her running mate,” Wilson said in a release, “we’ve already put together a team and a plan to make South Carolina stronger, safer, and more affordable.”
A raucous debate
The late-week campaign jockeying followed a high-stakes Tuesday night TV debate that saw both candidates throw political haymakers and conservative red meat to a raucous crowd at Coastal Carolina University.
“While my opponent was cutting ribbons in a ceremonial job and wasting time in the lieutenant governor’s office, I was out there fighting for you,” Wilson said in an opening statement that highlighted his active duty combat service and record as attorney general.
Cracking back in her response, Evette reframed Wilson’s four terms in office as a negative for GOP voters.
“There’s two of us on stage now and the choice will be really clear: You can pick a Trump-endorsed businesswoman or you can pick a career politician,” Evette said, gesturing toward her opponent.
Things only turned crankier as the night wore on, as each candidate accused the other of lying in campaign materials.
In particular, Evette took umbrage at Wilson’s claim that her company’s diversity consulting made her a “DEI queen,” saying “he knows full well that I did not profit from DEI” (diversity, equity and inclusion).
Meanwhile, Wilson denounced an Evette TV ad that suggests he raised his own salary as attorney general when it was imposed in 2022 by a legislature-controlled compensation commission.
But on a night when the candidates could find little to disagree about on the issues, from expanding private school vouchers to eliminating the state income tax, one major difference did emerge on the question of casino gambling.
Wilson, like Evette’s mentor McMaster, said he has “serious concerns,” citing law enforcement concerns. Conversely, Evette argued that it should be a referendum question for voters.
“If it has a good impact, then you’ve got to take it to the people when it comes to casinos,” she said.
Other major runoffs on Tuesday’s ballot
In addition to the GOP governor’s runoff, Republicans will return to the polls Tuesday to settle two statewide races.
In the state attorney general’s race, Georgetown Sen. Stephen Goldfinch is facing off against 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo. And for Agriculture Commissioner, Cody Simpson is squaring off against Danny Ford II.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the 1st Congressional District will settle a race between Berkeley County Rep. Mark Smith and Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt.
On the Democratic side, there are no statewide runoffs, but two congressional races.
In the 1st Congressional District, voters will choose between retired Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore and Coast Guard veteran and attorney Mac Deford.
And in the 2nd District, voters will choose either David Robinson II or Zyon Khalifa, both military veterans, to take on incumbent GOP Rep. Joe Wilson, who happens to be Alan Wilson’s father.
All valid S.C. voters who did not participate in the other party’s primary on June 9 are eligible to vote in the runoff primaries.
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