Trump, Pence are coming to SC. Here's what we know so far

The final week of South Carolina's GOP runoff for governor will be intense.

President Donald Trump will be campaigning in South Carolina next week for Gov. Henry McMaster, a day before McMaster faces a GOP runoff challenge from Greenville businessman John Warren.

Here's what we know so far:

▪ Trump will be in Columbia on Monday. That much we know. But neither the McMaster campaign nor the White House have announced any details yet about when and where the president will be or how supporters might be able to attend.

Trump is known for drawing big crowds for his rallies, so they might be looking for a large venue in the Columbia area. A rally would come just hours before polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The president last visited the Palmetto State in October for a McMaster fundraiser in Greenville, calling the GOP governor “my friend, my compatriot, who worked with me so hard.”

▪Trump is returning the favor from 2016, when then-Lt. Gov. McMaster was the first statewide elected official in the country to back Trump's unlikely run for president. McMaster endorsed Trump ahead of the pivotal S.C. GOP primary, which Trump won.

Now, McMaster is facing his own competitive primary race, and Trump wants to give him a boost.

When Trump won the White House, he also helped McMaster move up South Carolina's chain of command by naming then-Gov. Nikki Haley as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. That elevated Lt. Gov. McMaster to Gov. McMaster.

▪ Vice President Mike Pence will be here, too. The vice president will be campaigning with McMaster separately on Saturday.

Again, no details have been posted. However, the Associated Press reports Pence's campaign swing will go through Myrtle Beach, citing a source close to McMaster. McMaster's campaign schedule has the governor visiting Bluffton and Charleston earlier Saturday.

Being with Pence on the coast and Trump in the Midlands will allow McMaster to spread himself around the state, guaranteeing the maximum amount of attention in the campaign's final days.

▪ Trump matters in S.C. primaries. Last week, Trump sent out a last-minute tweet endorsing state Rep. Katie Arrington of Summerville in her race against U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford of Charleston in the 1st District's GOP congressional primary. Arrington went on to win the race by a slender majority.

At a Tuesday meeting with U.S. House Republicans, Trump reportedly mocked Sanford, a former two-term S.C. governor. Asking the room if Sanford was there, Trump said he wanted to "congratulate him on running a great race." But Trump then went on to call Sanford a "nasty guy," according to Capitol Hill reporters covering the meeting. Sanford was not present, but the president's comments drew boos from some Republicans in attendance, reports say.

Sanford later told the Post and Courier of Charleston that he was "perplexed" Trump would use a meeting on important legislative issues to "shoot at a guy you've already shot and killed."

▪ Warren is collecting his own endorsements. The Greenville businessman collected endorsements last week from two of his primary opponents — Catherine Templeton and Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant — as well as other GOP leaders. On Wednesday, he picked up two more endorsements — from Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon and former state Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken.

Meanwhile, McMaster also picked up another endorsement Wednesday from S.C. House President Pro Tenmpore Tommy Pope, R-York.

On Thursday, Warren will hold a campaign event at the Greenville Marriott with one of his most high-profile endorsements — Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson.

In a statement Tuesday, Warren tied himself to Trump, too, saying "As the conservative outsider in this race, I am committed to shaking things up and draining the swamp in Columbia like President Trump is doing in Washington."

This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Trump, Pence are coming to SC. Here's what we know so far."