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by MARK POWELL
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For the first time since the news broke – at the highest possible level, no less – that he might become South Carolina lieutenant governor Pamela Evette’s running mate, Henry McMaster Jr., son of the Palmetto State’s longest-serving chief executive, broke his silence on the matter.
And poured cold water on the alleged corrupt bargain…
“It was incredibly humbling to be mentioned as a potential lieutenant governor candidate by the greatest President in American history,” McMaster Jr. posted on social media Friday afternoon. “I’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even strangers encouraging me to run for public office, but now is simply not the right time for me to be considered for lieutenant governor.”
Not mentioned were the vile social media posts McMaster made nearly twenty years earlier during his college days, which have been the subject of much discussion around the state since they were publicly shared last weekend.
“You can’t help wondering if there are other skeletons in his closet that he’d rather not have come out,” a veteran Palmetto political operative unaffiliated with any gubernatorial campaign noted. “And if so, whether that may have played a role in his decision.”
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Speculation surrounding the younger McMaster had been swirling in political circles for months. There was initially talk that the son of governor Henry McMaster might run for attorney general, the same office his father once held. Earlier this year, however, this news outlet broke the story that McMaster, Jr., was under consideration to join Evette on the Republican ticket as her lieutenant governor, again another office his father previously held. There was conjecture that picking McMaster, Jr. was the price Evette was expected to pay for securing the endorsement of her current boss – and for his influence in landing Trump’s backing as well.
When the politically coveted endorsement finally arrived last week, the McMaster Jr. selection was presented as a fait accompli.
“A BIG added plus for Pam is that, I hear, Henry McMaster, the brilliant and very competent son of Henry and Peggy, will be running with her as the next lieutenant gI toovernor,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post endorsing Evette.
Not long thereafter, the release of McMaster’s youthful lewd social media posts followed. By mid-week, Evette’s campaign was receiving serious blowback. She never confirmed her decision to ask McMaster, Jr., to join her on the GOP ticket – but she never denied it, either.
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Various polling, however, told a different story, with some surveys suggesting a potential Evette-McMaster ticket was causing more damage than President Trump’s endorsement was helping.
“Evette’s campaign had to get this off the table,” a national Republican strategist in Washington unaffiliated with any South Carolina campaign observed. “But coming as McMaster’s tweet did, heading straight into the final weekend before primary day, is it too little, too late? Folks have been talking about this non-stop for seven days. Yet now we’re just over 72 hours away from polls opening. Is there enough time to win back voters who soured on her over the matter?”
While politicos weigh the implications of this latest twist on Tuesday’s election, it’s possible South Carolinians haven’t heard the name McMaster for the final time in a political campaign.
“Just look at the wording of his tweet,” the operative pointed out. “‘Now is simply not the right time.’ He didn’t say anything about 2030.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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9 comments
McMaster,Jr. calls Trump, “the greatest President in American history.” You gotta wonder if the guy is as ignorant of other subjects as he is of history. But of course, Trump refers to him as “brilliant,” and we know that Trump is never wrong and his judgement unerring.
I see why your name is “dum”
It’s a Latin word, Randy. You know, from the language they speak in Latin America—Panama, Ecuador, Belize, Costa Rico, etc.
Not at all getting into this political debate, only making a linguistic correction: in Latin America, they do NOT speak Latin.
They speak Spanish, Portuguese, and the native pre-European expeditions languages of the various tribes in those countries.
Where Latin is spoken TODAY is in the Vatican’s highest inner circles among the Catholic Pope and the Catholic Cardinals and Bishops, if that.
Since Vatican-II, even Catholic masses are no longer required to be conducted ENTIRELY in Latin but may be conducted in local languages, though parts of the Catholic liturgy remain in Latin.
And just an anecdote which people of a certain age and political persuasion might remember: Former Vice-President Dan Quayle was pilloried for having said, or not said, when visiting Latin America that he was sorry he did not speak Latin.
Physicians, too, know a lot of Latin words and phrases because the names of most body parts and conditions come from Latin and from Greek.
Also, lawyers use some Latin words and phrases, relics of Roman Law and of Code Napoleon, though MOST South Carolina lawyers pronounce them atrociously.
For example, a typical South Carolina lawyer would pronounce the phrase for a document commanding you to bring something with you as if “sahpeeena dufus take home.” The correct spelling is “subpoena duces tecum” pronounced SUB-PE-NA DOO-CHESS TAY-COOM.
And while I am at it, pre-trial examination of jurors should not be pronounced “dyare” as if dire consequences follow; it should be pronounced “deer” because that is the French infinitive verb for “say.”
So, the French phrase for “seeing [them] say” should NEVER be pronounced VOYR DAYRE but VO-WAR DEER.
Just saying because, with pre-trial matters related to the Murdaugh retrial looming, I hope not to get jarred by atrocious pronunciations of Latin and French phrases.
My Lord, are people on this site so benighted that they can’t recognize sarcasm? Of course they don’t speak Latin in Latin America . They speak largely Spanish, French, Portuguese—Romance languages derived from Latin, thus the name. I refer you also to the much laughed at statement regarding Latin America and their languages involving then Vice President Dan Quayle.
Not at all getting into this political debate, only making a linguistic correction: in Latin America, they do NOT speak Latin.
They speak Spanish, Portuguese, and the native pre-European expeditions languages of the various tribes in those countries.
Where Latin is spoken TODAY is in the Vatican’s highest inner circles among the Catholic Pope and the Catholic Cardinals and Bishops, if that.
Since Vatican-II, even Catholic masses are no longer required to be conducted ENTIRELY in Latin but may be conducted in local languages, though parts of the Catholic liturgy remain in Latin.
And just an anecdote which people of a certain age and political persuasion might remember: Former Vice-President Dan Quayle was pilloried for having said, or not said, when visiting Latin America that he was sorry he did not speak Latin.
Physicians, too, know a lot of Latin words and phrases because the names of most body parts and conditions come from Latin and from Greek.
Also, lawyers use some Latin words and phrases, relics of Roman Law and of Code Napoleon, though MOST South Carolina lawyers pronounce them atrociously.
For example, a typical South Carolina lawyer would pronounce the phrase for a document commanding you to bring something with you as if “sahpeeena dufus take home.” The correct spelling is “subpoena duces tecum” pronounced SUB-PE-NA DOO-CHESS TAY-COOM.
And while I am at it, pre-trial examination of jurors should not be pronounced “dyare” as if dire consequences follow; it should be pronounced “deer” because that is the French infinitive verb for “say.”
So, the French phrase for “seeing [them] say” should NEVER be pronounced VOYR DAYRE but VO-WAR DEER.
Just saying because, with pre-trial matters related to the Murdaugh retrial looming, I hope not to get jarred by atrocious pronunciations of Latin and French phrases.
Yes they are!
Yeah, don’t try sarcasm on this site. I’ve tried it before. It only works if you follow the sarcasm with a paragraph explaining the sarcasm, which, of course, makes the effort worthless. This particular case is only made worse by the fact that they don’t even recognize our state motto.
Mr. McMaster ‘fils’ seems to at least have a sense of appropriate timing about his immediate future. His decision to remain “above the fray” in favor of family obligations is commendable.