{"id":2099,"date":"2026-06-24T17:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T17:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2099"},"modified":"2026-06-24T17:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T17:07:09","slug":"the-lesson-republicans-should-learn-from-the-sc-governor-runoff-results-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2099","title":{"rendered":"The lesson Republicans should learn from the SC governor runoff results | Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump\u2019s initial endorsement for South Carolina governor suffered a crushing loss in Tuesday\u2019s Republican primary runoff, adding to his mixed success in endorsing candidates in gubernatorial races.<\/p>\n

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Trump had endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a crowded Republican primary earlier this month. Evette received the most votes but didn\u2019t crack 50%, which thrust her into a runoff with Attorney General Alan Wilson. Four days before the runoff, Trump made the unusual move of endorsing both candidates<\/u><\/a> after polls showed Wilson with a massive lead over Evette.<\/p>\n

When polls closed Tuesday night, Wilson was quickly projected as the winner<\/u><\/a>, and it wasn\u2019t close. While Trump leapt to take credit for endorsing the winner, the truth is that he got it wrong the first time, then hedged his endorsement when it became clear the momentum was in Wilson\u2019s favor<\/u><\/a>. Wilson ran most of the race without Trump\u2019s endorsement, and polls made it clear he didn\u2019t really need it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first time that Trump has backed the wrong horse in a gubernatorial race this year. Trump\u2019s preferred choice for governor also lost in Republican primaries in Georgia<\/a> and Iowa<\/a> this month. That might be a lesson for Republicans \u2014 and for Trump \u2014 in state-level races. While the Trump endorsement has proved decisive in congressional primaries, it doesn\u2019t seem to carry as much weight for candidates back home.<\/p>\n

While Evette and Wilson are on the same page ideologically, they differed in their campaign strategy and message. Evette spent much of her campaign highlighting her connection to Trump and touting his endorsement, and she carried the burden of representing the status quo. She struggled to identify a brand outside of that of the president and of current Gov. Henry McMaster, who also endorsed her. Meanwhile, Wilson also made his support for the president clear, but without his endorsement, he was forced to adopt a different message and a vision of his own. Wilson spoke a lot about affordability and infrastructure, a message with broad and urgent appeal, especially as the state faces growing pains from a population boom.<\/p>\n

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A similar dynamic existed in the March primary loss suffered by Senate leader Phil Berger in North Carolina. Trump\u2019s endorsement of Berger didn\u2019t move the needle for a candidate who had already fallen out of favor with voters, and Berger misjudged what it would take to regain it. Berger\u2019s campaign was about more than just Trump\u2019s endorsement, but he did advertise it heavily and made efforts to shape himself into the kind of MAGA candidate often preferred by Republican voters. In the process, though, he lost sight of the issues that voters actually cared about.<\/p>\n

Candidates like Berger and Evette seemed to think their ticket to victory was parroting Trump the president, but they might have been better off trying to emulate Trump the candidate. Some voters, especially Republicans, are enthusiastic about his brand of nationalism, his culture wars and anti-intellectualism. But he won elections largely because of his ability to tap into voters\u2019 concerns about basic issues like the economy and their wariness of the \u201cestablishment.\u201d In many ways, Trump himself has lost sight of that strategy, which is why his approval rating is slipping<\/u><\/a> even among Republican voters.<\/p>\n

The South Carolina result isn\u2019t a rebuke of Trump. But it\u2019s an indication that Republican voters, even fervent Trump supporters, see a difference between how they want to be represented in Washington, D.C. and how they want to be represented back home. Recognizing that difference \u2014 Trump endorsement or not \u2014 seems to be the path to victory so far for Republicans who want to be governor right now. It might be a good reminder for all Republicans, too.<\/p>\n

Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten covers politics and the 2026 elections for The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Some Republicans, including Trump, seem to misjudge what their voters want from candidates in state-level races. | Opinion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nThe lesson Republicans should learn from the SC governor runoff results | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2099\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The lesson Republicans should learn from the SC governor runoff results | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some Republicans, including Trump, seem to misjudge what their voters want from candidates in state-level races. | Opinion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2099\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-24T17:07:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"The lesson Republicans should learn from the SC governor runoff results | Opinion\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T17:07:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099\"},\"wordCount\":703,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b34772f5aa72014af08426f0726ec8db.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099\",\"name\":\"The lesson Republicans should learn from the SC governor runoff results | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b34772f5aa72014af08426f0726ec8db.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T17:07:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2099#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b34772f5aa72014af08426f0726ec8db.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b34772f5aa72014af08426f0726ec8db.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"A runoff debate between Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson was held at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC on Tuesday. 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