Gov. McMaster makes endorsement in crowded field for his successor

ROCK HILL, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has made his endorsement in the upcoming race for governor.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is expected to face four other Republican candidates in a primary election scheduled for June, but she got McMaster’s nod in the race this week.

McMaster is widely popular among South Carolina Republicans, but political observers are monitoring whether a potential presidential endorsement could influence the race. Current polling shows a large portion of the electorate remains undecided as the field of high-profile candidates begins to campaign across the state.

The Republican primary field includes South Carolina Sen. Josh Kimbrell, Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman, and Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Recent polling from Winthrop University indicates a competitive race among these contenders as they prepare for the June election. A Winthrop poll conducted this fall showed Mace and Evette in a statistical tie for the lead.

The data also revealed that 47% of Republican voters remain undecided about their choice for governor.

Scott Huffmon, a political scientist at Winthrop University, said the high number of undecided voters is expected given the timeline of the race.

“Well, the undecided factor is completely natural. It’s not until June. Also Norman, who is the Fifth District Congressman here and he hasn’t released his money yet, in a big way, so he could easily jump into this race, open his war chest and start changing things dramatically,” Huffmon said.

Huffmon noted that polling numbers from earlier in the year may have been influenced by early spending on advertising.

While Huffmon highlighted McMaster’s standing within the party, he noted that another figure carries even more weight with the base.

“Henry Master is very popular, especially among Republicans and they’re the only ones who matter for this primary. You know, the only person that’s really more popular, obviously, is Donald Trump among Republicans,” Huffmon said.

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Huffmon suggested that Norman might be an unlikely choice for the former president.

“I think Norman might be unlikely because Norman didn’t jump behind him. And also because Norman wouldn’t get behind the One Big, Beautiful Bill until the very end. He was a bit of a thorn in the side of the White House,” Huffmon said.

The Republican primary election for governor is scheduled for June. Voters will decide which candidate will represent the party in the general election later this year.

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