This significant move, where Trump endorses Evette, from Ohio, over other qualified candidates, will determine if the hot streak in Trump endorsements continues.
President Donald Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for South Carolina governor late Friday night on Truth Social, bypassing five other Republicans with 10 days left before the June 9 primary.
The endorsement landed roughly 45 minutes after former Gov. Nikki Haley posted that she and her husband, Michael, had voted for U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.
Trump declared Evette had his “complete and total endorsement” and signaled that Henry McMaster Jr., son of outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster, would “likely” serve as her running mate.
The candidates passed over by Trump were U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, Norman, Attorney General Alan Wilson, businessman Rom Reddy, and State Sen. Josh Kimbrell. Mace drew the sharpest snub and the sharpest response.
Beyond the primary itself, the endorsement opens a second question Horry County voters have a stake in: whether three South Carolina Republicans Trump just bypassed continue to deliver votes for his agenda in a United States House where the GOP’s working majority is roughly four seats.
Trump Endorses Evette: What This Means for the Race
## What Trump Said
Trump’s Truth Social post called Evette “a good friend, fighter, and WINNER” who “will be a terrific Governor of South Carolina.” He described her as a “Highly Respected and very popular Lieutenant Governor” and “an America First Patriot” who “never wavered, never let me down.” The post closed with the trademark “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!
Given the recent developments, many are asking if Trump’s endorsement of Evette will be enough to secure her victory in the upcoming election.
The question remains: can she win? Viral gaffs like the Lt. Governor experienced in front of S.C. Representative Justin Bamberg and the S.C. House caused many to question her political knowledge.
The endorsement followed a $325,000 statewide ad blitz Evette launched the same day featuring Trump.
“rank-math-highlight” style=”background-color: #fee894″>It was reported that it had been “insinuating — but never directly claiming — Trump’s endorsement.”
The McMaster Jr. signal was tucked into the same post. According to the SC Daily Gazette, Trump indicated McMaster Jr. would “likely” be Evette’s running mate, though the younger McMaster had not publicly acknowledged the role. Outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster, the elder, had already endorsed Evette earlier in the cycle.
The endorsement followed a $325,000 statewide ad blitz Evette launched the same day featuring Trump, which The Hill reported had been “insinuating — but never directly claiming — Trump’s endorsement.” Evette’s own pollster had found 41% of voters already believed she had Trump’s backing before she received it.
## The Reactions
**Evette** posted on X: “I am incredibly grateful for your support and will never let you down.” She added, “Your walk down that golden escalator is what propelled me into politics.”
**Nancy Mace** issued the longest and sharpest response. In a press release, she said, “I have enormous respect for President Trump,” but added, “I will not change my positions. I will not abandon my principles.” On X, Mace tied the snub to her push on the Epstein case files: “I put the likelihood of an endorsement on the line when I demanded transparency in the Epstein files… if this is the price of an endorsement, I will never pay it.”
She framed an Evette-McMaster Jr. ticket as “more of the same,” writing that “with the governor’s son Henry Jr. as her running mate, South Carolina can expect more of the same. I WILL DRAIN THE SWAMP.” Earlier Friday, before the endorsement was official, Mace had told supporters not to believe Evette’s “lies” about it.
**Attorney General Alan Wilson** struck a more measured tone. “No one’s fought harder or risked more for President Trump and his agenda than I have,” Wilson said. “I look forward to continuing to deliver real results for South Carolina families as their next Governor.”
**Ralph Norman** had told NBC News earlier in the week, “His endorsement is golden. Why do you think everybody wants it?” No specific post-endorsement statement from Norman surfaced in Friday-night coverage. Haley’s announcement that she and Michael Haley voted for Norman landed in the same news cycle; Norman had backed Haley over Trump in the 2024 presidential primary.
Reddy and Kimbrell did not immediately issue public reactions.
## Why Trump Bypassed Mace
Reporting from The Hill, Axios, and FITSNews points to two main drivers. The first is Mace’s demand for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein trafficking case files — a position she made central to her national profile and did not soften when an endorsement was on the table. The second is her opposition to elements of the administration’s foreign policy.
Axios reported in early May that “Team Trump fears a Nancy Mace governorship,” citing concerns about her independence. Mace cast herself as a MAGA warrior throughout the campaign, but Trump’s orbit, per FITSNews, had grown frustrated with her independence.
Mace’s Friday response — pairing respect for the president with a refusal to abandon her positions — signals she will not retool her message in the final 10 days.
## Can Evette Win the Primary?
The case for Evette starts with the numbers. A questionable Trafalgar Group poll conducted May 21-24 had Evette at 19.9%, Wilson at 19.4%, Reddy at 19.0%, Norman at 15.9%, and Mace at 14.6%, with a substantial undecided pool.
FITSNews called the race a “definitional tossup.” Trump endorsements have historically produced double-digit vote-share increases for the candidates he backs in competitive Republican primaries — though much of that effect reflects his pattern of endorsing already-favored incumbents.
Trump endorsements have historically produced double-digit vote-share increases for the candidates he backs in competitive Republican primaries — though much of that effect reflects his pattern of endorsing already-favored incumbents.
In a field this tight, the bump could be enough to pull a chunk of the MAGA-aligned undecided behind Evette. She also carries Gov. McMaster’s prior endorsement, and the projected McMaster Jr. running-mate slot extends that network.
McMaster, however, is not considered a part of MAGA America. He and Evette have historically been considered more establishment.
In a field this tight, the bump could be enough to pull a chunk of the MAGA-aligned undecided behind Evette.
She also carries Gov. McMaster’s prior endorsement, and the projected McMaster Jr. running-mate slot extends that network.
Reddy has put $5.47 million of his own money in over 60 days and remains stuck at roughly 11%, but the spending keeps him visible. Reddy touts in T.V. ads the $1 million check he wrote to the Trump campaign. Are these good optics for Reddy?
The Post and Courier described Evette’s pre-endorsement standing as “stagnant.” Trump’s post moves her from “stagnant top-tier” to primary front-runner. With no candidate near 50%, a June 23 runoff is the likely outcome — and that runoff is where the snub-and-retaliation dynamics get tested.
## The Federal Legislative Math
Horry County voters see all six Republican candidates on the June 9 ballot. We are in the process of early voting now.
The endorsement directly reshapes their gubernatorial choice and the runoff likely to follow.
Here is where the endorsement matters beyond South Carolina. House Republicans hold 218 seats to Democrats’ 214, with three vacancies. That is roughly a four-seat working majority — and on any given roll call, with members absent, the margin can shrink to one or two.
The 119th Congress runs through January 3, 2027. Pending business includes Trump’s stated top legislative priority, the SAVE America Act, which the House passed 218-213 on Feb. 11 but which has stalled in the Senate at the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Also on the calendar: appropriations, FAA reauthorization, the National Defense Authorization Act, and a deferred farm bill.
Three South Carolina Republicans sit inside that thin majority. **Nancy Mace** of SC-1 is one. **Ralph Norman** of SC-5 is another. The third — most often missed in the gubernatorial coverage — is **Joe Wilson** of SC-2, a 13-term incumbent who has held the seat since December 2001, the adoptive father of gubernatorial candidate Alan Wilson, and a member who had publicly urged Trump to endorse his son. Joe Wilson is not running for governor; Alan Wilson is.
The math is straightforward. Mace plus Norman is two votes Trump needs. Joe Wilson is a third. A three-vote swing on a 218-214 chamber is enough to sink a bill.
The politics are less straightforward. Mace and Norman are not going to publicly oppose tax cuts or border enforcement; their primary voters would punish them. The realistic risk for the White House is selective defection — symbolic refusals on individual bills where a member’s base supports the break. Mace has already shown that willingness on the Epstein files and on foreign policy. Norman is a Haley ally with a record of independence.
Joe Wilson has not publicly broken with Trump in a quarter-century in Congress; whether his son being passed over on a Friday night changes a single floor vote is the open question.
## The Horry County Stake
Horry County voters see all six Republican candidates on the June 9 ballot. We are in the process of early voting now.
The endorsement directly reshapes their gubernatorial choice and the runoff likely to follow.
The federal layer reaches Horry through a different channel. Horry sits in U.S. House District 7, represented by Russell Fry, who is not part of the three-member math above. But the SC delegation’s votes through the rest of the 119th Congress will shape appropriations, federal contracting, port-area infrastructure, and military and VA funding — all of which land in Horry. The next Congress seats January 3, 2027; everything between now and then runs through the current majority.
There is a state-level wrinkle as well. Sens. Greg Hembree and Luke Rankin, both Horry County Republicans, were among the 12 to 14 GOP state senators who voted against Trump’s redistricting push earlier in the week. Trump’s endorsement of Evette over four sitting Republicans sets up a second structural tension between the SC GOP and the national party in the same news cycle.
## What to Watch
The 10 days to June 9 will tell whether the Trump bump consolidates Evette above the 30% line her polling has not yet reached.
It will also determine whether the Mace “more of the same” frame and the Norman-Haley pairing pull the race into a two-candidate runoff on June 23.
The federal layer plays out on a longer clock. The next SAVE America Act movement, the next appropriations vote, the next NDAA conference — those are the floor votes where the Mace, Norman, and Joe Wilson question gets answered, one roll call at a time.
## Further Reading
Trump endorses Evette – Post and Courier — “Friday night bombshell: Donald Trump endorses Pamela Evette for governor of South Carolina” (May 29-30, 2026)
Trump endorses Evette -The Hill — “Trump snubs Rep. Nancy Mace, endorses Pam Evette for South Carolina governor” (May 29, 2026)
Trump endorses Evette – NBC News — “A crowded race for governor has turned into an all-out fight over Trump’s endorsement“
Trump endorses Evette – WIS-TV — “Trump endorses SC Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in governor’s race” (May 29, 2026)
Trump endorses Evette – ABC News 4 — “Donald Trump endorses Pamela Evette for Governor” (May 29, 2026)
Trump endorses Evette – Washington Examiner — “Trump endorses South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette over Nancy Mace” (May 29, 2026)
Trump endorses Evette – Mediaite — “Trump Snubs Nancy Mace to Endorse Primary Rival for Governor“
Trump endorses Evette – Axios — “Team Trump fears a Nancy Mace governorship” (May 2, 2026)
Trump endorses Evette – FITSNews — “Crossroads 2026: Nancy Mace and the Trump Endorsement Spin Cycle” (May 3, 2026)
Trump endorses Evette – Raw Story — “Nancy Mace speaks out after Trump publicly rejects her run for governor”
Trump endorses Evette – MS NOW — “No one thinks we’re keeping the majority: House Republicans fear they’re losing”
Trump endorses Evette – Brookings — “GOP midterm prospects darken as Trump approval falls
Trump endorses Evette – Ballotpedia — 2026 U.S. Congress elections
