One week after President Donald Trump's endorsement-winning streak in high-profile Republican primaries was snapped, the president's immense clout over the GOP is facing another test in South Carolina.While Trump's preferred choice for the Palmetto State's GOP gubernatorial primary, Lt.Gov.
Pamela Evette, has clinched one of the two tickets in the race for the nomination, so has South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.The two will now advance to the Republican runoff election in two weeks, the Associated Press reports, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov.Henry McMaster. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUBSouth Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced his candidacy for governor on Monday, June 23, 2025, accompanied by his family.
(Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service)Since no candidate was expected to top 50% of the primary vote and land a majority, the top two finishers will advance to the June 23 Republican runoff.And the winner of the runoff will be considered the clear favorite in the general election in the solidly red southeastern state.While he wasn't on the ballot, Trump's immense clout over the GOP is facing another test in South Carolina.The brute force of the president's endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past month, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention.But his 11th-hour endorsement of Republican Rep.
Randy Feenstra of Iowa a week and a half ago — which came on the same day he also backed Evette — in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov.Kim Reynolds wasn't enough to muscle the three-term congressman to victory.TRUMP-ENDORSED FEENSTRA CONCEDES TO MAHA-BACKED LAHN IN GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY UPSETZach Lahn raises his fist in celebration after winning Iowa's GOP gubernatorial nomination, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
(Zach Lahn for Governor via Facebook)Feenstra was n...