Columbia, South Carolina — President Donald Trump endorsed South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette for governor on Friday, passing over Rep. Nancy Mace and Rep. Ralph Norman in one of the most closely watched Republican primaries of 2026.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Evette as an “America First Patriot” who “never wavered,” giving her his “Complete and Total Endorsement” ahead of the June 9 Republican primary.
The endorsement is a significant boost for Evette, who has been locked in a competitive race with South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Recent polling from Trafalgar Group showed Evette and Wilson effectively tied among likely Republican primary voters, with Mace and Norman trailing.
Mace responded shortly after the announcement, suggesting her support for greater transparency regarding government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may have cost her the endorsement.
“I know I put the likelihood of an endorsement on the line when I demanded transparency on the Epstein files,” Mace wrote on social media. “If sacrificing my values is the price of an endorsement, I will never pay it.”
Trump’s decision also bypassed Norman, who had recently shown signs of momentum in polling. The president has increasingly used endorsements to shape Republican primaries and has highlighted victories by candidates he backed over lawmakers who challenged him politically.
On the same day, Trump also endorsed former Oklahoma budget secretary Mike Mazzei in that state’s gubernatorial contest.
The South Carolina Republican primary is scheduled for June 9.
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