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by WILL FOLKS
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Six weeks ago, our media outlet first reported on now-rampant speculation that South Carolina lieutenant governor Pamela Evette – who is seeking to become the next chief executive of the Palmetto State – was considering choosing the son of current governor Henry McMaster as her 2026 running mate.
McMaster has served in South Carolina’s constitutionally neutered governor’s office for the past ten years – filling the latter half of former governor Nikki Haley‘s second term and winning two elections in his own right in 2018 and 2022.
What has McMaster accomplished as the longest-serving governor in the history of the state? Honestly… not much.
Evette’s rumored selection of McMaster’s son – Columbia, S.C. attorney Henry D. McMaster Jr. – is being pushed hard by the governor, who recently endorsed Evette as his successor. According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, the elder McMaster has assured Evette that choosing his progeny as her No. 2 is the key to securing the endorsement of U.S. president Donald Trump.
Others are not so sure the selection of McMaster Jr. will move the needle with Trump… who is said to be more interested in seeing “proof of life” from Evette’s campaign than in empowering McMaster’s latest machination.
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Reportedly arguing contrary to McMaster’s counsel is Evette’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio – who also happens to be one of Trump’s top pollsters. According to our sources, Fabrizio – whose internal surveys reportedly continue to paint a less-than-rosy picture of Evette’s current positioning in this race – is advising Evette to choose a more experienced lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.
Fabrizio and others close to Evette have reportedly counseled her that she needs to focus more on boosting her standing in the race than chasing Trump’s imprimatur – i.e. ignoring McMaster’s advice.
Two sources familiar with Evette’s internal polling have confirmed that the endorsement she received from McMaster – rolled out last week to huge fanfare – has utterly failed to boost her standing amongst Republican primary voters in the Palmetto State.
“She’s still in fourth place,” one of these sources told us, stating Evette trailed fourth-term attorney general Alan Wilson, first district congresswoman Nancy Mace and fifth district congressman Ralph Norman in her own internal surveys after receiving McMaster’s nod.
These recent poll results have been shared with Trump, who has been following the South Carolina race closely.
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RELATED | PAMELA EVETTE’S ‘FIRST HUNDRED DAYS’ PROMISE
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Evette has reportedly told numerous acquaintances that she expects to receive Trump’s endorsement in her bid to succeed McMaster. After all, she stood by Trump’s side at the S.C. State House in Columbia on January 29, 2023 when he kicked off his third presidential campaign. She is also a favorite of Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
A native of Ohio, Evette has lived in the Palmetto State for several decades – launching a national payroll and human resources firm with her husband.
“My husband and I started a company in Travelers Rest about twenty-five years ago now… we grew that to a national company,” she told GOP voters on the campaign trail recently. “Every day was helping small businesses grow, and making sure that they could navigate through regulations that were just hard to navigate through sometimes.”
Evette, 58, was tapped by McMaster as his running mate ahead of the 2018 election – the first time governors and lieutenant governors ran on a ticket in the Palmetto State. Previously, the office was independently elected.
It has been 55 years since a sitting lieutenant governor was elected to the governor’s office. The last to pull off the feat was John West in 1970.
Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we track the 2026 governor’s race as part of our Crossroads 2026 coverage…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
A woman from Ohio can’t win governor of South Carolina. How is this fucking news, who is this person paying or related to that she is considered a legitimate candidate? People from Ohio are the problem, and Henry has made his career on betting on people that hate people from off. This is not a serious candidate so please stop talking about her as if she is one!