President Donald Trump is making an 11th-hour endorsement in the final stretch ahead of Tuesday's high-profile Republican gubernatorial runoff in solidly red South Carolina, saying he "can't hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other."Trump on Friday took to Truth Social to say that he was supporting longtime South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt.Gov.
Pamela Evette in the battle for the GOP nomination in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov.Henry McMaster.The endorsement of Wilson appears to be a move by Trump to hedge his bets, because Trump is already backing Evette, who is also supported by McMaster, a longtime top ally of the president.The South Carolina runoff had been viewed as the latest test of Trump's immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.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 via Getty Images)And his decision to back both Evette and Wilson isn't the first time he's made dual endorsements in the same Republican race.He's already backing both Gina Swoboda and Jay Feely in next month's Republican primary in Arizona's 1st Congressional District.Most famously, Trump endorsed "ERIC" in the 2022 GOP Senate primary in Missouri, where the two major candidates were Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens.
Both candidates claimed the endorsement, with Schmitt ultimately winning the nomination.In South Carolina, Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the gubernatorial primary.Evette finished on top of a crowded field of contenders in the primary election, with Wilson second.The field also included Reps.
Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy.Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, as the top two finishers, Evette and Wilson adva...