President Trump has made a surprise move in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial runoff election, endorsing both candidates, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson. This decision comes after Trump’s endorsed candidate in neighboring Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial runoff lost.

Background

The South Carolina runoff had been seen as a test of Trump’s influence over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests. Trump’s endorsement of Wilson appeared to be a move to hedge his bets, as he was already backing Evette, who is also supported by term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.

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 advanced to the June 23 runoff.

Reactions

Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance to the runoff. And Wilson was also backed — and joined on the campaign trail on the eve of the runoff by Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas.

Trump’s decision to support both Evette and Wilson wasn’t the first time he’s made dual endorsements in the same Republican race. Most famously, Trump endorsed “ERIC” in the 2022 GOP Senate primary in Missouri, where the two major candidates were Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.