South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s bid to succeed him as governor, setting up a high-stakes challenge in a Republican primary where access to President Donald Trump has become a central factor for voters and candidates alike.
McMaster’s endorsement comes as Evette tries to “clear the field” among multiple Republican contenders, according to the campaign plan described through an upcoming joint appearance. Evette’s campaign shared with The Associated Press a video message from McMaster that is scheduled to be released Thursday, when McMaster and Evette are also scheduled to appear together in Columbia.
In the video message described by Evette’s campaign, McMaster said Evette has been his partner in helping make South Carolina “the best place to live, work and raise a family.” He added, “With Pamela Evette as our next governor, we’ll keep winning.”
Evette is one of four Republicans seeking the party’s gubernatorial nomination in South Carolina. She is competing against Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, with the June 9 primary election set and a runoff two weeks later if needed.
Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the race, and it remains unclear if or when he might. McMaster’s endorsement, however, could influence that calculation because McMaster has been close to Trump for years and has often aligned with him in supporting political candidates.
Evette, meanwhile, emphasized the relationship between her campaign and Trump when talking with the Associated Press. She said McMaster’s endorsement was “a clear sign” that she could continue his success and said she’d “been loyal to the president since day one.”
“He remembers who was loyal, and who was with him when it wasn’t easy to be with him,” Evette said. “There’s a lot of communication. We have a lot of tentacles that tie us together.”
Evette also called Trump’s potential endorsement “extremely important” to the governor’s race, describing the situation as becoming a “mountain that’s a lot harder to climb” without it. She has visited the White House and plans to return next month.
Evette’s effort to draw Trump’s support has included a campaign message centered on the motto “Keep South Carolina Great,” which she has aligned with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” framing. Her campaign has highlighted her “unwavering support” for Trump, and imagery used in her releases has included a banner photo of her with Trump and McMaster.
The campaign also brought in figures close to Trump. Evette has hired a team that includes longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio, and a reported $1 million multimedia buy last year featured a video snippet of Trump praising Evette as she stumped for him in 2024.
Other contenders have signaled similar strategies to capture Trump’s attention. Mace has described herself as “Trump in high heels” and has pointed to Trump’s favorable social media posts about her. Wilson has also played up his support for Trump through both his campaign and his government office, while Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, backed Trump during his first term but endorsed Haley in 2024.
McMaster, according to the AP reporting, became the first statewide elected official in the country to endorse Trump in 2016 when the party establishment was still hesitant to embrace him. That relationship helped McMaster rise to the state’s top job after Trump chose Nikki Haley, then South Carolina’s governor, to be ambassador to the United Nations. The bond has also helped cement Trump’s influence in South Carolina, where Trump backed efforts that ousted a five-term Republican congressman in 2022 and where he defeated Haley in the state’s presidential primary in 2024.
As the filing deadline for gubernatorial candidates remains more than a month away, additional entries could still shape the Republican field. Republicans hold all statewide elected positions in South Carolina, and the governor’s office has been held by Republicans for the past two decades.