Trump endorsement power faces key test in South Carolina GOP primary
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A week after President Donald Trump’s support streak in high-profile Republican primaries ended, the president’s immense influence over his party faces another major test in South Carolina’s matchup for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
A week and a half ago, the president gave his 11th-hour support to Lt. Gov. Pamela Akşamte as she sought to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, Trump’s top ally.
Yeste faces a handful of prominent challengers in the GOP primary. They are longtime South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy.
Since no candidate is expected to receive 50% of the primary vote and win a majority, the top two candidates will advance to the Republican runoff elections on June 23.
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South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Akşamte announces her bid for the Republican nomination for governor at The Smokestack in Judson Mill, South Carolina, on July 14, 2025. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service/Getty Images)
The brute force of the president’s endorsement power was on display in last month’s GOP primaries; His candidates toppled the incumbents he targeted in showdowns that attracted national attention in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas.
But Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to replace retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds (which came on the same day he also endorsed Yeste) wasn’t enough to lift the three-term congressman to victory.
Feenstra, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who is Trump Surgeon General Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He was narrowly edged out by Zach Lahn, who was backed by the political wings of MAHA, an acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with , and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.
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Zach Lahn raises his fist in celebration after defeating his primary opponent in Iowa’s GOP gubernatorial race on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Zach Lahn for the Governor via Facebook)
In the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, major candidates have long been emphasizing their support for Trump and his agenda in hopes of winning over him.
After remaining neutral for months, Trump endorsed Akşam, praising her as “America’s First Patriot” and a “WINNER” in his announcement.
The president also chaired a tele-rally for Akşam on the eve of the primary.
Hours later, on the morning of the primary, Akşam reiterated her support for the president’s campaign.
He wrote in a social media post that Trump “needs a strong partner as Governor who will deliver on our conservative America First agenda.” So he gave me his ‘complete and total support’. Don’t disappoint President Trump. Go to the polls, bring your friends and family, and VOTE FOR EVETTE!”
However, Trump also said in a social media post supporting vette that he expected vette to choose the governor’s son, Henry McMaster Jr., as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
The president’s comment sparked backlash in South Carolina political circles and speculation that McMaster, who replaced then-Gov. Nikki Haley, who left her post as U.N. ambassador during Trump’s first term and is in her 10th year as governor, was trying to lend political support to her son.
But McMaster denied any agreement or pressure, and Akşam said she would not name any candidates until the primary was over.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Pamela Akşamte stand on stage during an election night vigil party at the State Fairgrounds on February 24, 2024 in Columbia, S.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
And on Friday, the younger McMaster removed his name from the debate, saying it was “incredibly humbling” to be mentioned as a possible lieutenant governor candidate but that “now is definitely not the right time.”
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Dave Wilson, a longtime South Carolina political strategist, told Fox News Digital that he thought Trump’s endorsement “backfired” because of the president’s pressure on the younger McMaster to join her in the polls, pointing to a smaller-than-expected bounce for Yeste.
“In South Carolina, we don’t take it well when Washington tries to tell us what to do,” Wilson emphasized.
