President Donald Trump announced on Friday he is backing both Republican candidates vying for their party’s gubernatorial nomination in South Carolina, marking a setback for Lt. Gov. Pam Evette — a GOP candidate he’d already endorsed in that race.
The president said he couldn’t pick between the two “highly respected” candidates, Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson, who are challenging each other in the June 23 runoff election. Trump endorsed Evette before the initial June 9 primary, which thinned the field of crowded contenders. But the president ultimately hedged, saying in a Truth Social post that a vote for either Republican in the runoff would be a win for the state. “You can’t go wrong,” Trump said.
“I love the Wonderful State of South Carolina for every reason in the book, including the fact that it is ‘loaded up’ with truly GREAT people and Political Leaders,” he said. “Vote for Pam or Alan — They will not let you down!”
The post follows a pattern of Trump offering double or even triple endorsements in contentious primary fights.
The attorney general and Evette were the top two vote-getters in the June 9 primary election, with Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) failing to advance in the battle to succeed outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC). Since then, Wilson has held a clear lead in recent polls.
Though he gave his “good friend” Evette his “Complete and Total Endorsement” before June 9, Trump said Friday that both Wilson and Evette “have had amazing careers, and have been with me from the beginning.”
“They are MAGA and America First all the way!” the president added. “I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other.”
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Trump’s decision quickly drew speculation that he’s hoping to protect his nearly perfect record of backing winning candidates and comes after he faced two setbacks in other gubernatorial races.
His endorsed candidate in Iowa, Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), lost earlier this month, followed by the primary defeat of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia, who also had the support of the president.