President Donald Trump is now throwing his support behind both of the remaining Republicans in the South Carolina governor’s race as he seeks to avoid the possibility of another primary setback this month.
Trump had endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in late May, less than two weeks before the initial South Carolina primary. But in a Truth Social post Friday, Trump said he is also backing Attorney General Alan Wilson in Tuesday’s GOP runoff, saying the two rivals are “MAGA and America First all the way!”
“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!” Trump wrote. “It’s a Wealth of Riches — With either one you can’t go wrong.”
Evette finished in first place in the June 9 primary, which went to a runoff after no candidate in the crowded field won majority support. But she earned less than 30% of the vote and ran only 3 points ahead of Wilson, despite securing Trump’s coveted endorsement.
In the days since the primary, Wilson also picked up endorsements from two former opponents in the race, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman. And shortly after Trump’s announcement, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also publicly endorsed Wilson.
Wilson said on social media that he was “honored” to have Trump’s endorsement, highlighting his efforts to defend the administration’s agenda as South Carolina attorney general.
“When President Trump needed fighters, I was in the fight,” Wilson wrote on X. “Now, I am running for Governor to keep South Carolina strong, conservative, and free.”
Evette responded on X by saying, “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.”
Trump’s move in South Carolina comes after he suffered rare defeats in two other gubernatorial primaries in recent weeks.
In Iowa, Rep. Randy Feenstra — who won Trump’s endorsement the same day as Evette — was narrowly defeated in the June 2 GOP primary for governor by Zach Lahn, a businessman who aligned himself with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
When asked about that outcome last week, Trump suggested he wasn’t given the “proper information,” saying that “the other person was much more Trump” than Feenstra.
And earlier this week, billionaire Rick Jackson won the Republican primary runoff in the Georgia governor’s race over Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. As a businessman and a political outsider, Jackson likened himself to the president on the campaign trail and made an aggressively play for his base.
“Rick Jackson ran a great TRUMP Campaign,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after Tuesday’s runoff. “Very smart!”
Trump’s double endorsement in South Carolina is not the first time he has employed the tactic. In the 2022 Missouri GOP Senate primary featuring former Gov. Eric Greitens and then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Trump caused some confusion when he announced that “ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
