Alan Wilson Wins South Carolina GOP Governor Runoff After Trump Dual Endorsement

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson defeated Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the Republican runoff for governor on Tuesday, securing the GOP nomination to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster. Wilson will face state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in the November general election. The state has not elected a Democratic governor in 28 years.

Trump initially endorsed Evette after the June 9 primary. He issued a second endorsement for Wilson on Friday, stating both candidates were "MAGA and America First all the way" and that he could not "hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other." Wilson received additional support from other Republican figures after the dual endorsement. Evette had been backed by McMaster in February.

The candidates traded attacks in their only debate one week before the runoff. Wilson highlighted his record as attorney general and combat veteran, while Evette presented herself as an outsider with business experience. Audience members jeered during the debate at Coastal Carolina University.

Both candidates accused each other of lying and misrepresenting their records. Wilson described the dual endorsement as "a huge thing for us to receive" and credited a yearlong grassroots effort.

Wilson second in the seven-candidate June 9 primary. Neither reached a majority, triggering the runoff. Other candidates included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and businessman Rom Reddy. Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance. The runoff tested the reach of presidential endorsements in a state viewed as safely Republican.