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GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a runoff for the Republican nomination for South Carolina governor, while U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham won his own primary outright Tuesday in his pursuit of a fifth term in November.
President Donald Trump early on gave his endorsement of Graham, a political confidant and regular golfing partner of the president, despite their on-again, off-again relationship. Graham also secured the support of some leading state Republicans, Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster, to plow a path to another nomination.
Addressing Trump in his victory speech, Graham said “I’m going to help you change this world and change this country.” He has been outspoken in favor of military action against Iran.
However, Evette only secured a runoff berth in the governor’s race a week after garnering Trump’s endorsement. She will face Wilson in the June 23 primary. Others in the race included U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman. Mace quickly threw her support to Wilson for the looming primary.
No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades, and Republicans in recent history typically have taken statewide seats by double-digit margins. When he last ran in 2020, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent by a 10 percentage point margin. This year, he’ll face Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews in November.
Republican governor candidates have played largely to Trump
Competition among Republicans for Trump’s support seemed more intense than any other facet of the primary campaign.
Even before Evette received the president’s endorsement, she frequently featured photos and videos of herself with Trump in campaign materials. She was backed by McMaster, the term-limited outgoing governor, a longstanding ally of Trump whose support telegraphed the president’s own.
Mace also wanted Trump’s support, and he endorsed her congressional reelection in 2024 even though she criticized his actions of Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Norman, among the most conservative members of the House and a member of the Freedom Caucus, strongly supported Trump in the president’s first term. But in the 2024 campaign, Norman stumped for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley instead of Trump.
Rom Reddy, a coastal businessman who has eschewed campaign donations and self-funded his effort, had touted his lack of political experience as an asset, drawing comparisons between Trump and himself.
Graham, backed by Trump, gets GOP nod to seek a 5th term
South Carolina’s other top contest Tuesday saw Graham clinching the Republican nomination without need of a runoff.
Although their relationship has undulated through the years, Graham has remained close with Trump, who fulfilled the senator’s longstanding wish for direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Graham cheered Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and recently said he often speaks to the president about the ongoing conflict.
Among Graham’s primary foes was Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, who said Graham wasn’t conservative enough to represent the state. Calling himself an “America First” candidate, Lynch campaigned as a Trump supporter. However, the president has called him a “lunatic” and a “disaster for the Republican Party.”
Winning statewide in November remains a tall order for SC Democrats
Democrats haven’t won the governor’s office or a Senate seat in South Carolina for decades.
Andrews, the Charleston pediatrician, ran unsuccessfully against Mace in 2022. Now running for Senate against Graham, she’s challenged what she’s characterized as Graham’s waffling positions over the course of his political career.
She is among the Democrats hoping to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Trump this year.
In the governor’s race, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson won the Democratic nomination in the South Carolina governor’s race.
Johnson has represented a district in the Columbia area for three terms. Seen as a rising star in the state party, Johnson was tapped to give this year’s Democratic response to McMaster’s state of the state address. McMaster has been in office since Nikki Haley left her term early to join the first Trump administration.
Democrats have not won a general election for governor in South Carolina since 1998, and Republicans have controlled all statewide-elected offices in the state for more than a decade.
In other results, James Clyburn clinched the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House in South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District while Joe Wilson — the father of the state attorney general — won the Republican nod for the U.S. House in South Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District.
Also Tuesday, in other U.S. House primaries, Eunice Lehmacher won the Democratic nomination in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District; John Peterson won the Republican nod in the 6th district; William Timmons secured the GOP nomination in the 4th district, and Mallory Dittmer won the Democratic nomination for the 5th district.
Additionally, David Stumbo and Stephen Goldfinch advanced to a Republican primary runoff for attorney general in South Carolina.
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This story has been corrected to show Jermaine Johnson won the Democratic nomination outright for South Carolina governor and is not entering a runoff.
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Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina.
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
Meg Kinnard And Jeffrey Collins, The Associated Press
