President Trump’s endorsement has long been the most coveted prize in contested Republican races and has proved significant in Senate and House primaries this year.
But on Friday, he made the unusual move of backing both runoff candidates in South Carolina’s Republican primary for governor, reflecting his mixed results with governor’s races in this year’s midterms.
Mr. Trump initially backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette last month to become the next South Carolina governor, but that was not enough to help her avoid a runoff. The president, who pays close attention to his political standing, wrote on Truth Social that he was also endorsing Ms. Evette’s opponent, Alan Wilson, South Carolina’s attorney general for the last 15 years.
“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!” Mr. Trump wrote.
Mr. Wilson had already been leading Ms. Evette in several polls ahead of Election Day on Tuesday. Mr. Trump’s nod may solidify that even further.
But it is clear in governor’s races across the country that his endorsement power has lost some heft. Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and the director of the Winthrop Poll, said that could underscore the growing rift between conservatives loyal to the president’s Make America Great Again movement and others who are concerned about the war in Iran and gas prices.
And while voters may feel comfortable sending a MAGA loyalist to Congress, Dr. Huffmon said, they may prefer a governor “who has their eyes firmly fixed here at home rather than on Washington.”
In Georgia’s Republican primary for governor, Rick Jackson, a billionaire health care executive, defeated Burt Jones, the state’s lieutenant governor. Mr. Jones secured early support from Mr. Trump, but Mr. Jackson spent millions of his own money to blanket the airwaves with ads casting himself as a version of Mr. Trump — a strategy the president highlighted in a social media post after Tuesday’s race.
“Congratulations to Rick Jackson, who very successfully campaigned on being ‘TRUMP,’ and won,” Mr. Trump wrote on Tuesday night.
In Iowa, Republican voters also discounted Mr. Trump’s chosen candidate for governor, Representative Randy Feenstra. He was defeated by Zach Lahn, a farmer.
Both Mr. Jackson and Mr. Lahn are wealthy businessmen who spent significant sums of money on advertisements. They are also both political newcomers.
South Carolina voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and was quick to embrace his MAGA movement a decade ago. But in interviews before the primary, voters made a distinction between state and federal leadership. And they expressed more interest in electing a leader who could steer their state and its fast-growing population through infrastructure troubles and rising costs.
Still, the Republican candidates for governor, including Mr. Wilson, had gone to extraordinary lengths to gain Mr. Trump’s support. Mr. Wilson has a “Trump Tough” section on his campaign website, and he frequently praised the president in speeches.
Ms. Evette had gone even further throughout her campaign, regularly sharing photos of herself with Mr. Trump in dispatches. Some voters believed she had gotten his support before it was actually official.
Mr. Trump has actively propped up Ms. Evette’s candidacy. He spoke at a telephone rally for her and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on the eve of the state’s primary, gushing that she was “outstanding” and “MAGA all the way.”
“I think you’re going to be absolutely in love with her,” he said of Ms. Evette in the call on June 8. “Her competition is not serious, and cannot compete with her.”
While the dual endorsement in South Carolina is out of the ordinary, Mr. Trump has made similar maneuvers before. In 2022, he enthusiastically endorsed “ERIC” — a name shared by two rival Republican candidates — on the eve of a Senate primary in Missouri.
This month’s runoff in South Carolina now pits two similarly moderate Republicans with vastly different backgrounds.
An Ohio-born businesswoman, Ms. Evette has served as lieutenant governor alongside Gov. Henry McMaster since 2019. Mr. McMaster, the state’s longest-serving governor, cannot run again because of term limits. Ms. Evette has sought to present herself as his obvious successor to help manage the state’s growth, and she has frequently tied her messaging to Mr. Trump.
Mr. McMaster also endorsed her, and the president suggested in his first endorsement announcement that Ms. Evette tap the governor’s son, Henry McMaster Jr., as her second in command.
That fueled backlash among Ms. Evette’s opponents, who accused her of negotiating a backroom deal. Ms. Evette denied those claims and said she would not pick her running mate until after the primary. The younger Mr. McMaster later removed himself from consideration.
Mr. Wilson, a National Guard veteran, has focused his messaging on affordability. He has also amassed significant support from other candidates who failed to make the runoff, including two sitting members of Congress, Representatives Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman.
The winner of the runoff will face State Representative Jermaine Johnson, who clinched the Democratic nomination this month.
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