President Donald Trump endorsed Pamela Evette, lieutenant governor of South Carolina, last week in her battle against U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Mace and a slew of others, ahead of the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary.
Recent polls have shown Evette in the lead, as others earlier in the year had Mace ahead.
In a new tracking poll by the Trafalgar Group released on Monday, Evette leads with 26.3 percent, compared to businessman Rom Reddy’s 17.2 percent, Attorney General Alan Wilson’s 16.9 percent, Congressman Ralph Norman’s 16.1 percent, Mace’s 14.8 percent, decertified candidate Jacqueline Dubose’s 2.4 percent, South Carolina State Senator Josh Kimbrell’s 1.9 percent and 4.4 percent are undecided.
Newsweek reached out to Mace’s campaign via email for comment.
What To Know
The new tracking poll from the Trafalgar Group was taken from May 29 to May 31 among 900 Republican June primary voters in South Carolina, with a 2.9 percent margin of error.
Taking to X on Monday, Mace spoke about her connection to the president, saying, “I’m the only candidate running for Governor who worked for President Trump and helped get him elected in South Carolina in 2016 – the very first time he ran.”
Amid midterm and primary season, Trump has landed numerous election-related wins. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy lost his race, as did Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. Trump backed both of their opponents.
Trump has endorsed against Mace in the past, but he backed her reelection in 2024, describing her in part as a “strong conservative voice.”
Mace also backed Trump in his race for the White House in 2024 but noticeably has been critical of the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files.
Over the weekend, Mace referenced Epstein, saying, “I was one of just four republicans who voted to release the Epstein files and I would do it ALL OVER AGAIN.”
What Mace and Evette Have Said
Mace released a lengthy response to Trump’s backing of Evette, on X Friday night. She said in part that, “I have enormous respect for President Trump and everything he has done for our country and for South Carolina. That respect is genuine and it is unchanged.” She went on to add that her demands for transparency surrounding the Epstein files “put the likelihood of an endorsement on the line.”
“South Carolina deserves a Governor who answers to her people, not to the establishment, and not to anyone who believes accountability is negotiable,” Mace later said.
Since Trump’s endorsement of Evette, Mace has posted numerous pictures of the president on social media. Over the weekend, she posted a picture alongside Trump on X with the caption, “I have a 100% lifetime voting record supporting Trump.”
Evette touted Trump’s endorsement on social media over the weekend as well, and in one post she said, “Just like President @realDonaldTrump, I spent the majority of my life in the business world. I’m an entrepreneur and a business owner, not a career politician.”
What Other Polls Show
In a previous survey by the Trafalgar Group, Evette led with 19.9 percent compared to Wilson’s 19.4 percent, Reddy’s 19 percent, Norman’s 15.9 percent, Mace’s 14.6 percent, Dubose’s 3.2 percent and Kimbrell’s 2.3 percent.
The survey also showed that 5.6 are undecided. It was taken from May 21 to May 24 among 1,125 likely Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of 2.9 percent.
Another poll at the end of April by co/efficient shows Evette in the lead with 21 percent. Wilson had 18 percent, Norman had 13 percent, Mace had 12 percent, Reddy had 11 percent, Kimbrell had 2 percent and 22 percent were undecided.
The poll was taken on April 29 and April 30 among 813 likely Republican primary voters and had a margin of error of 3.44 percent. The poll noted that Mace dropped 5 percent and Evette gained 2 percent compared to a previous survey by the pollster at the end of March.
In an earlier March poll by co/efficient, Mace landed 22 percent, Evette had 21 percent, Wilson had 19 percent, Norman had 8 percent, Kimbrell had 1 percent and 29 percent were undecided. The poll was taken on March 12 and March 13 among 810 likely Republican primary voters and had a margin of error of 3.43 percent.
