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By Anna Commander
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In a move that could reshape the final days of the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial runoff, President Donald Trump issued a rare dual endorsement on Friday, throwing his support behind Attorney General Alan Wilson while maintaining his backing of Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette.
Trump had previously given Evette his sole endorsement ahead of the state's June 9 primary.
Newsweek reached out to Wilson's campaign via email on Friday for comment.
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What To Know
In a Friday post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Evette and Wilson, who are running to replace outgoing Governor Henry McMaster, "have had amazing careers, and have been with me from the beginning," adding that they are "MAGA and America First all the way!"
"These were the two that I was hoping would get into a Runoff, and they did," Trump added. "I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so, therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson! It’s a Wealth of Riches – With either one you can’t go wrong. Vote for Pam or Alan — They will not let you down! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Less than 15 minutes after Trump's post, Evette took to X, touting that she finished first in the state's primary as a Trump-endorsed candidate.
"I was proud to come in first as President @realDonaldTrump’s endorsed candidate for Governor on June 9th. Looking forward to doing it again on June 23rd. Get out and vote on Tuesday, and let’s Keep South Carolina Winning!" the lieutenant governor wrote.
When reached for comment on Friday evening about the president's dual endorsement, Evette's campaign forwarded Newsweek to her X post.
Former primary candidates who competed against Wilson and Evette have since rallied behind Alan. Representatives Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace have announced their support for the attorney general, giving him the backing of two high-profile voices from the first round of the race.
Former state Representative Mandy Powers Norrell, a Democrat, commented on Facebook that Trump’s endorsement of Wilson was "bound to happen" because Wilson had built momentum in the race.
"Trump does not want to be with the losing candidate," she wrote. "This is a big blow to the Evette campaign. But people still need to vote."
Amid midterm and primary season, Trump has seen mixed results. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, lost his race, as did Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican. Trump backed both of their opponents. In Iowa's GOP primary for governor earlier this month, Representative Randy Feenstra conceded to businessman and farmer Zach Lahn—marking the first loss for a Trump-endorsee in this year's election cycle.
The runoff between Evette and Wilson was likely to serve as another test of Trump’s influence in Republican primaries, but the Friday's dual-endorsement seemingly places Trump in a win-win position no matter the outcome.
The president won South Carolina in the 2024 presidential election with 58.2 percent of the vote, compared to then-Vice President Kamala Harris' 40.4 percent.
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What the Polls Show
A survey from JMC Analytics and Polling shows that 59 percent would pick Wilson in the runoff election versus 25 percent who would pick Evette. The poll shows that 16 percent are undecided.
In a forced ballot, the poll shows that Wilson has 63 percent compared to Evette's 28 percent and 9 percent are undecided.
The survey polled 500 respondents from June 13-15 and has a margin of error of 4.38 percent.
In a poll from Trafalgar Group taken before the June 9 primary, Evette led the crowded field with 22.4 percent compared to Wilson's 20.7 percent. Businessman Rom Reddy landed 17.5 percent; Norman had 15.9 percent and Mace had 13.9 percent. Decertified candidate Jacqueline Dubose had .5 percent, and South Carolina State Senator Josh Kimbrell's had .6 percent while 8.3 percent were undecided.
The poll surveyed 1,200 likely Republican primary voters from June 5-7 and had a margin of error of 2.9 percent.
Another previous tracking poll by the Trafalgar Group released on June 1 showed Evette leading with 26.3 percent, compared to Reddy's 17.2 percent, Wilson's 16.9 percent, Norman's 16.1 percent, Mace's 14.8 percent, Dubose's 2.4 percent, and Kimbrell's 1.9 percent. Meanwhile, 4.4 percent said they were undecided. The poll was taken between May 29-31 among 900 Republican primary voters, with a 2.9 percent margin of error.
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