SOUTH CAROLINA — South Carolinians are letting their voices be heard this election.
More than 319,000 people cast a ballot during early voting. That’s more than double the early voting turnout during the 2024 primaries.
Every vote counts because it’s anyone’s race to be South Carolina’s next governor.
Channel 9’s Tina Terry talked with a political expert about the effect of President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
His endorsement is like a golden ticket in South Carolina, and Pamela Evette has that ticket.
So far it hasn’t caused a wide separation between her and other candidates.
“Pamela Evette got Trump’s endorsement very recently,” said Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University. “He’s been dropping in, you know, endorsing very late in elections kind of across the county.”
That endorsement from President Trump came in late May. He said Evette is a good friend and a fighter, who has his total endorsement.
The president’s post included a hint that Henry McMaster Jr. could be Evette’s running mate.
“Now he has pulled his name out, but a lot of Republicans said, ‘wait a minute. Was there quid pro quo? Was there a behind the scenes agreement?,’” said Huffman. “And so that blunted the power of Trump’s endorsement, so we would have expected her to skyrocket ahead, but what we’re seeing in the final polls is within the margin of error stuff.”
For weeks, polls showed Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson leading other Republican candidates.
And the latest polls, after Trump’s endorsement, show the same thing.
A Trafalgar group poll taken around the start of early voting showed Evette with 19.9% of the votes, and Wilson with 19.4%.
Huffmon says the margin is so close, either of them could land on top Tuesday.
“We’re going to see fighting in the last, you know, day of dirty politics and text messages and everything else to try and make sure you get in because it’s probably going to be a runoff,” said Huffmon.
If no Republican gets more than 50% of the vote Tuesday, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election that will take place on Tuesday, June 23.