Trump-backed Pamela Evette in South Carolina Primary governor race
South Carolina voters are heading to the south carolina primary on Tuesday to choose nominees for governor and other offices, with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette among the Republicans seeking the governor’s race. Donald Trump’s endorsement of Evette could matter in a field where seven Republicans and three Democrats are running to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster.
Evette, Mace and Wilson
Evette is part of a Republican governor’s field that also includes U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson. Mace’s campaign website touts a past Trump endorsement, while Wilson and Norman are trying to reach the same primary voters without that direct campaign asset.
McMaster is leaving after 10 years in office, and the winner will enter a state expected to hold first-in-the-South presidential primaries again. That gives the governor’s race a national edge even before the ballot is decided.
Graham’s costly primary
The same ballot also includes U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who faces five Republican primary challengers in his bid for a fifth term. As of May 20, Graham had spent more than $29 million on his reelection bid and still had about $4.2 million in the bank.
Graham has Trump’s endorsement. Annie Andrews is among the Democrats running against him, adding another contested race to a primary that already includes multiple statewide and congressional fights.
Runoff threshold in June
Seven Democrats and 11 Republicans will appear on the primary ballots, and former Gov. Mark Sanford has dropped out of the race. Candidates are running under the existing map after the Republican-controlled state Senate rejected a mid-decade redistricting effort backed by Trump.
A candidate needs a majority of the vote to avoid a June 23 runoff between the top two vote-getters. That means Tuesday’s result may settle some races immediately, but any field split across several contenders could push the decision into a second round.
