Trump backs both candidates in South Carolina governor runoff

Donald Trump chose an unusual hedge in South Carolina’s Republican governor’s race, moving from a full-throated endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to backing both Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson ahead of the June 23 runoff. The shift underscored how Trump is trying to preserve his standing after a string of gubernatorial setbacks, while also revealing how hard it has become for him to dictate outcomes in a crowded state primary.

Trump had previously given Evette his “Complete and Total Endorsement” before the June 9 primary. On Friday, he widened the field, saying either Evette or Wilson would be a good pick and praising both on Truth Social as having been with him “from the beginning” and as “MAGA and America First all the way.” It was a notable retreat from choosing sides outright, especially after some of his endorsed gubernatorial candidates lost earlier this month in Iowa and Georgia.

The South Carolina contest is headed to a runoff because state law requires a majority to win the Republican nomination outright. Evette finished first with just under 30% of the vote, while Wilson came in second with almost 26%, ahead of U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, who both fell short of the top two. The runoff will decide who becomes the Republican nominee to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster in the first open South Carolina governor’s race since 2010.

The political stakes go beyond one nomination. South Carolina Republicans have controlled statewide power for decades, and Democrats have not won a gubernatorial race there since 1998. That makes the Republican runoff functionally the main event, with the winner strongly favored in November. Early voting ahead of the June 9 primary already signaled the level of intensity, with the South Carolina Election Commission saying more than 318,600 ballots were cast before Election Day.

Both candidates quickly welcomed Trump’s broader endorsement on Friday. Evette said she was proud to have been Trump’s endorsed candidate on June 9 and said she was looking forward to doing it again on June 23. Wilson said he was honored to have Trump’s endorsement. Evette has called Trump’s backing a “golden ticket” for Republicans in South Carolina, but Friday’s move suggested something else too: a president trying to avoid being tied to a loser while keeping influence over a race that will help define the party’s next chapter in the state.