The candidates running for governor in the South Carolina Republican primary are doing all they can to get the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Trump has yet to endorse a candidate in the race, where the winner of next year’s GOP primary would be considered the odds-on favorite in a state that has not elected a Democrat since 1998.
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, lists the race as “solid R.” Incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.
A new poll from Winthrop University has Rep. Nancy Mace and Lt. Gov. Pam Evette leading with 17% and 16%, while Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson trail with 8% each.
The candidates acknowledge that the race runs through Trump.
“He’ll get to decide my fate. He is a kingmaker, and I hope in this case he will be a queenmaker,” Mace told Politico.
“Donald Trump is the gold standard. He casts a very long shadow over state politics here in South Carolina, especially in the Republican primary,” Wilson said. “Anyone who says they don’t want the president’s endorsement is crazy.”
While Mace and Norman have backed Trump’s agenda in Congress, Wilson has filed nearly 20 briefs in the federal judiciary in support of the Trump administration, and his website features photos of him and the president.
Evette has also touted her loyalty to Trump, saying she supported him when other Republicans were shunning him after he left office.
Norman may face an uphill battle to get Trump’s endorsement, having endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley during the 2024 Republican primary cycle.
“Ralph Norman has the best record of voting with Trump of any candidate and is proud to work with him in Congress. He’d welcome the president’s endorsement but knows that the president has other friends in this race and he respects that,” Norman spokesperson Evan Newman said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is up for reelection next year, said Trump is taking a wait-and-see approach before issuing an endorsement. Trump has already endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida and Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio.
McMaster has so far declined to endorse a candidate.
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