President Donald Trump has decided to endorse a second GOP candidate for the open South Carolina governor seat, after his original pick, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, was the top vote-getter in the June 9 party primary but appears to be losing ground to Attorney General Alan Wilson as they head to a runoff Tuesday.

"Both have had amazing careers, and have been with me from the beginning," Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday. "They are MAGA and America First all the way!" ... With either one you can’t go wrong."

Trump appears to have felt the obvious political winds, considering he endorsed Wilson after a June 13-15 survey by JMC analytics and polling found 55% of respondents were undecided, while 28% backed Wilson and 17% chose Evette. However, when forced to choose, 63% of the respondents went with Wilson, compared to the 28% who broke for Evette. The poll's margin of error was 4.38%.

Evette won the primary with about 28% of the vote, compared to about 26% for Wilson. Since no candidate won plus-50% of the vote, the top-2 finishers went to a runoff. 

The new polls suggest some voters switched and/or Wilson picked up more votes than Evette from the primary candidate who did advance to the runoff: millionaire businessman Rom Reddy and Reps. Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace. Norman and Mace having also endorsed Wilson might have shifted their votes. 

Other political observers argue Trump is, in fact, hedging his bet in South Carolina, after his preferred candidate in the recent Georgia governor's race, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, R-Ga., lost to Rick Jackson in the GOP primary last week.

Endorsing two candidates in one race is hardly a first for Trump. 

In 2024, he endorsed Abe Hamadeh and Blake Masters in an Arizona House primary. In Missouri, meanwhile, he endorsed “Eric” in the state’s Senate primary, as a means of expressing support for candidates Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens. Hamadeh and Schmitt won their respective contests.

Trump regularly touts the success of his endorsed candidates in primaries and general contests and has worked to shape his backing as a necessity for electoral success. While he has managed to influence the outcomes of close races, a string of defeats could undercut the perception within the GOP of the need for his support.

In the recent Texas GOP Senate runoff, Trump endorsed state Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn at the last minute. The endorsement took a contest that polling suggested would be decided by single digits and handed Paxton a 2-1 victory margin.

Such developments are typical when Trump weighs in on a close contest. But with his roughly 37% approval rating and voter dissatisfaction with his handling of the Iran war at 65%, his status as kingmaker appears to be being tested.  

To some extent, South Carolina may be unique in resisting some of Trump’s pressure. State lawmakers recently shut down a redistricting plan that would have eliminated the sole Democratic-leaning district in the state following a Supreme Court ruling that would have allowed them to do so. 

Trump had been a strong proponent of redistricting efforts and previously launched successful primaries against Indiana lawmakers that rejected a similar push. Nevertheless, South Carolina lawmakers still rejected his pressures.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.