Trump Endorsed Both Candidates in the Same Race — His Original Pick Still Lost

State Attorney General Alan Wilson won the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina on June 23, 2026, defeating Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a runoff complicated by President Donald Trump’s decision to endorse both candidates simultaneously in the race’s final days [1]. In the initial June 9 Republican primary, Evette finished first with 29 percent of the vote while Wilson placed second with 26 percent, advancing both to Tuesday’s runoff [2]. Trump had publicly expressed support for Evette before the first primary but reversed course in the days before the runoff, posting on Truth Social that he would now back both Wilson and Evette [1]. Wilson will face Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in November in South Carolina’s first open governor’s race since 2010 and is heavily favored in the reliably Republican state [2].

Why It Sucks:

Trump Loyalists and MAGA Supporters

• Trump’s original endorsement of Evette turned out to be worthless. Activists and operatives who rallied to Evette based on Trump’s initial public backing watched the president abandon her in the runoff and declare both candidates equally worthy of his support — making his early endorsement look like a favor he retracted the moment the political calculus shifted [1, 2].
• The double endorsement erodes the value of a Trump backing going forward. A central feature of Trump’s political leverage is the belief that his endorsement delivers results; a split-the-middle maneuver in a major governor’s race where his original endorsed candidate then lost undermines the argument that lining up Trump’s support is essential to Republican primary victory — reducing the tool he uses to keep lawmakers and candidates in line [1].
• Evette was the loyal ally — Wilson was not Trump’s first choice. Evette had aligned herself closely with the Trump administration and earned the president’s initial public backing before the June 9 primary; her defeat after Trump retreated to a neutrality posture rewarded a candidate who did not have that early support while leaving Evette without a coherent closing argument in the final stretch [2].

Republican Party Strategists and Establishment Conservatives

• Wilson is the stronger general election candidate — and the right candidate won. As a two-term state attorney general with broad statewide name recognition, an established fundraising network, and a record of winning contested elections, Wilson presents a more formidable November opponent for Democrats than Evette, whose profile was largely built on serving as lieutenant governor [1].
• The endorsement reversal turned a safe Republican contest into a national media story. South Carolina has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006; the state’s open seat should have been a low-drama Republican consolidation, but weeks of coverage about Trump’s flip-flop cast the state party as internally disorganized and dependent on presidential management to resolve a race it should have settled without controversy [1, 2].
• Trump’s late hedge was rational damage control, not a betrayal. With competitive Senate and House races demanding resources and attention in the fall, a fractious South Carolina governor’s race serves Republicans best if it ends cleanly; the double endorsement prevented the losing camp from publicly blaming Trump and preserved his ability to unify both Wilson and Evette coalitions behind the Republican ticket in November [2].

South Carolina Democrats and Jermaine Johnson’s Campaign

• Democrats now face the tougher Republican opponent they were hoping to avoid. Wilson’s credentials, institutional fundraising network, and two-term statewide track record make him significantly more difficult to defeat than Evette; Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson must now compete against a seasoned official with built-in advantages rather than a lieutenant governor without Wilson’s electoral history [1].
• The Trump endorsement drama generated weeks of free publicity for Wilson. Months of national media coverage centering on Trump’s endorsement maneuvers increased Wilson’s name recognition far beyond what a typical state primary produces; Johnson will begin the general election campaign against an opponent who dominated the news cycle long before a single general election ad ran [1, 2].
• The first open seat since 2010 may now be out of reach. Democrats had hoped that an open governor’s race, combined with potential fatigue around Trump administration policies, might produce a competitive path to South Carolina’s executive mansion; Wilson’s primary victory over the candidate Trump initially endorsed signals that the state Republican Party is cohesive enough to absorb internal drama and still field a formidable November candidate [2].

Sources & Citations:

[1] NBC News: Alan Wilson prevails in South Carolina GOP governor primary runoff election
[2] PBS NewsHour: Wilson wins GOP nomination for South Carolina governor after Trump hedges his bet on race