Gov. Henry McMaster endorses Pamela Evette for South Carolina governor

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has officially endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette ’s bid to succeed him in office, an attempt to clear the field in the crowded Republican primary that could pave the way for a coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump.

McMaster and Evette appeared together at a press conference at Senate’s End Thursday morning for the endorsement. McMaster took the podium and said he would be brief, beginning with saying, ” We have a great team here… and that what Pamela and I have here. We’ve done a lot of things and year’s ago, when I picked my running mate, I wanted to pick someone with a business background, who knew some people, who was a Trump supporter, of course, and was willing to get to work and do the things necessary to make this state greater.

“My goal is, always has been and always will be to make this place the best place in the whole world to live, work and raise a family.

“What Pamela and I have done is set the course for future leaders of this state. … With a leader like Pam, she has learned about government, she has been my eyes and ears and has carried my message, talked the talk and walked the walk.

“I trust her and I believe in her.”

Evette said McMaster’s endorsement was the most sought after in the state and she is honored to have it.

Evette is competing for the nomination against Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson. In the deep red state, the competition for the president’s support has been the most intense part of the race, but McMaster’s endorsement suggests Evette may have the inside track.

McMaster has been close to Trump for years, and they’re nearly always aligned in backing the same candidates. As South Carolina’s lieutenant governor in 2016, McMaster became the first statewide elected official in the country to endorse Trump at a time when the party’s establishment was still hesitant to embrace the New York businessman and reality television star.

The wager paid off when Trump chose Nikki Haley, then South Carolina’s governor, to be his ambassador to the United Nations, allowing McMaster to ascend to the state’s top position.

The relationship helped cement Trump’s political influence in South Carolina, where he helped oust a five-term Republican congressman who crossed him in 2022 and then trounced Haley in the state’s presidential primary in 2024.

Evette said Wednesday in an extensive interview with the AP that McMaster’s endorsement was “a clear sign” that she could continue his success. She also said she’d “been loyal to the president since day one.”

“He remembers who was loyal, and who was with him when it wasn’t easy to be with him,” she said. “There’s a lot of communication. We have a lot of tentacles that tie us together.”