SC Gov. McMaster formally backs Evette’s bid for governor. Will Trump follow?
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster formally backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s campaign for governor a move, which could help lead to the coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump.
The Associated Press was first to report the endorsement, which was rolled out Thursday at an event in Columbia. Evette is one of five Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for governor.
It is the third statewide race McMaster has endorsed in this cycle, backing U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s reelection and the potential candidacy of Cody Simpson for commissioner of Agriculture. Simpson previously worked in McMaster’s office as chief executive assistant and agriculture advisor. Trump has also endorsed both Graham and Simpson.
In 2016 McMaster endorsed Trump’s campaign for president becoming the first statewide official in the country to back the White House bid. The two have been loyal to one another since.
Evette called McMaster her mentor and a friend, and the endorsement came four months before the primary.
“I was more than honored to have him come on now,” Evette said on the timing the endorsement. “I think it doesn’t matter when the governor gives his endorsement, it means a lot. Like I said, it’s the number one most sought after endorsement in the state of South Carolina.”
In a press availability Tuesday, McMaster spoke about how important it is for him to have someone from his inner circle continue in elected office after his term ends in January 2027.
“I think it’s great. I mean, everybody in my office, you’ve noticed, some have come and have gone on to bigger and greater things, and that’s a real compliment,” McMaster said. “I think that’s what we like. But to have people that I’ve worked with to go and run for office, I like that.”
In a video released Thursday by the Evette campaign, McMaster speaks about how he chose Evette during his 2018 campaign to help make South Carolina a conservative success.
“Together, we broke records, creating new jobs. We delivered the largest tax cut in state history by a lot. We won at the Supreme Court, protecting the lives of the born and unborn. We closed that revolving door that had let violent criminals out, over and over,” McMaster says in the video.
Much of the Republican race has centered around trying to earn Trump’s endorsement in the campaign.
McMaster and Trump are among the most popular elected officials among South Carolina Republicans, according to public polling. Trump has an 87% approval rating among registered Republican voters, according to a Winthrop University poll conducted in November. McMaster has an 82% approval rating among registered Republican voters.
In October, 76% of likely GOP voters told Winthrop who Trump endorses in the governor’s race was either somewhat or very important.
A Trump endorsement in the governor’s race remains unclear. Graham said last year he advised the president to let the race in South Carolina play out for a little while. According to publicly released polling, no candidate is a clear frontrunner.
Also, with Republicans holding a slim majority in the U.S. House, Trump may not be able to afford to alienate two to three South Carolina members of Congress, as U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman also are running for governor, and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson is the father of Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is seeking the governor’s mansion. State Sen. Josh Kimbrell also is running for the Republican nomination for governor.
Alan Wilson’s campaign launched a new television ad Thursday with the message that he stood by Trump after the 2020 election, and how it led to people trying to have him disbarred.
“When President Trump needed support the most, a lot of weak-kneed conservatives jumped ship – I never did,” Wilson said in a news release. “Democrats came after me and tried to strip me of my law license – to take away my livelihood – but I stood firm. I know what it means to have courage under fire.”
Mace said in a statement she respected McMaster and called Evette a “nice lady.”
“But endorsements don’t fix potholes. Endorsements don’t eliminate the state income tax. And endorsements don’t put billions into roads and bridges. Results do. And my record does too,” Mace said. “I didn’t get into this race to collect endorsements. I got in to keep a promise to the people of South Carolina. And here’s what the establishment still hasn’t figured out: I don’t stop. I don’t waver. And I certainly don’t scare.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
