South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary tests Trump’s influence: 5 races to watch Tuesday

The South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday will offer another key test of President Trump’s influence after the president suffered his first major statewide primary loss last week.

Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) over the rest of a crowded GOP field, including top Republicans such as state Attorney General Alan Wilson, and Reps. Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace, in the Palmetto State. Evette is poised to advance to an expected runoff, but an outright win Tuesday could give Trump a boost after his pick for Iowa governor lost his GOP primary.

Over in Maine, Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, the frontrunner in Tuesday’s primary, has faced a growing heap of controversies that threaten to derail his bid for a must-win seat in the Democratic fight for Senate control this fall.

These races, alongside other primary contests in Nevada and North Dakota, will tee up key midterm matchups that will shape the political landscape and the battle for Congress.

Here are The Hill’s five races to watch: 

Trump seeks win in South Carolina

Trump is seeking to exert his political influence in South Carolina’s Republican primary to replace outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster (R). 

Trump and McMaster have both backed Evette, a boost in the state the president won by double digits in 2024 — though, as in many races across the country this cycle, the leading GOP contenders have each pitched their alignment with the White House.

Trump’s preferred candidates have been on a winning streak so far this cycle, ousting several high-profile detractors in primaries across the country, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).  

But the power of an endorsement from the president, who attended a telerally alongside Evette Monday evening, was called into question when his pick for Iowa governor, Rep. Randy Feenstra (R), lost his primary for the open seat last week.

Decision Desk HQ’s polling aggregate shows Evette and Wilson nearly tied at 19 and 18 percent, respectively, followed by businessman Rom Reddy at 15 percent. Norman and Mace, who was at one point one of Trump’s most outspoken allies in Congress, trailed the pack at around 14 percent each heading into Tuesday’s primary.  

With most candidates in the crowded race polling in the teens, experts expect no one will notch the majority needed to win Tuesday’s primary outright. The race will then tip into a runoff between the top two vote-getters on June 23.

“The Iowa governor’s race … proved that [Trump’s] endorsement........

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