SouthernWorldwide.com – Former President Donald Trump’s streak of securing victories for his endorsed candidates in high-profile Republican primaries has been rekindled, following his support for South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette. This endorsement aided her campaign to succeed the term-limited Republican Governor Henry McMaster.
Evette, who received Trump’s backing a week and a half prior to Tuesday’s primary election, is set to advance to a runoff in two weeks, according to The Associated Press. The central question now is which of the other prominent gubernatorial contenders will face Evette in the runoff.
The Republican field vying for the nomination includes the current South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, the nationally recognized Representative Nancy Mace, Representative Ralph Norman, and the multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy. With no candidate expected to secure over 50% of the primary vote and thus a majority, the top two finishers will proceed to the Republican runoff scheduled for June 23rd.
The eventual winner of this runoff will be widely regarded as the strong favorite in the general election, particularly in the reliably Republican southeastern state of South Carolina. Trump’s significant influence within the Republican party is once again being tested, even though he was not directly on the ballot.
The potent impact of Trump’s endorsements has been evident in recent Republican primaries. His chosen candidates have successfully unseated incumbents he targeted in closely watched contests across Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas, drawing considerable national attention.
However, Trump’s eleventh-hour endorsement of Republican Representative Randy Feenstra of Iowa, made on the same day he also supported Evette, was not enough to secure victory for the three-term congressman in the race to succeed retiring Republican Governor Kim Reynolds. Feenstra was narrowly defeated by Zach Lahn.
Lahn, a businessman, farmer, and former political strategist, received backing from the political factions of MAHA, an acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement associated with Trump’s former Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Turning Point USA, a prominent conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk. This outcome was highlighted by the headline: “TRUMP-ENDORSED FEENSTRA CONCEDES TO MAHA-BACKED LAHN IN GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY UPSET.”
In the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, the leading candidates had consistently emphasized their support for Trump and his policy agenda, hoping to earn his coveted endorsement. Trump, after maintaining neutrality for several months, eventually endorsed Evette, describing her as an “America First Patriot” and a “WINNER” in his public announcement.
Following Trump’s endorsement of Evette, Representative Nancy Mace suggested that her persistent efforts last year to compel the Justice Department to release files related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein might have influenced the President’s decision to back her rival. Mace expressed this sentiment in a post on X, stating, “I know I put the likelihood of an endorsement on the line when I demanded transparency on the Epstein files. I demanded it because you deserved the truth – ALL OF IT.”
In his social media post endorsing Evette, Trump also indicated his expectation that Evette would select Henry McMaster Jr., the governor’s son, as her running mate for lieutenant governor. This remark generated considerable discussion and speculation within South Carolina’s political circles, with some suggesting that Governor McMaster, who assumed office after Nikki Haley resigned to become U.N. ambassador during Trump’s first term and is now in his tenth year as governor, might be attempting to advance his son’s political career.
However, Governor McMaster has denied any such deal or pressure. Evette, for her part, stated that she would not name any running mate until after the primary election concluded. Subsequently, on Friday, the younger McMaster withdrew his name from consideration, describing the mention of him as a potential lieutenant governor candidate as “incredibly humbling,” but concluding that “now is simply not the right time.”
The Republican nominee for governor is anticipated to be the clear frontrunner in the general election scheduled for November in South Carolina. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, State Representative Jermaine Johnson, trial attorney and former gubernatorial candidate William Mullins McLeod Jr., and businessman Billy Webster, who previously served as chief of staff to former Democratic Governor Richard Riley, are competing for their party’s nomination.
