Trump endorsement streak gets unusual boost with South Carolina GOP governor nomination

By Fox News · Fox News

COLUMBIA, S.C. - He wasn't on the ballot, but President Donald Trump was a winner in South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial runoff. The candidate Trump endorsed, state Attorney General Alan Wilson, defeated Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to capture the GOP nomination in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, the Associated Press reported Tuesday just 26 minutes after the polls closed. But there was no way Trump could lose in the South Carolina runoff, which was shaping up to be the latest test of Trump's immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests. That's because Trump endorsed both candidates. DOUBLE ENDORSEMENT DRAMA: TRUMP HEDGES HIS BET IN SOUTH CAROLINA Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the gubernatorial primary. Evette finished on top of a crowded field of contenders in the primary election , with Wilson second. The field also included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, as the top two finishers, Evette and Wilson advanced to Tuesday's runoff. Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance to the runoff. And Wilson was also backed a week ago by Sen. Ted Cruz , the conservative firebrand from Texas. Trump, meanwhile, made an 11th-hour endorsement on Friday, backing Wilson in addition to his earlier endorsement of Evette, in what appeared to be a move by the president to hedge his bet. Mace, reacting to Trump's endorsement of both Evette and Wilson, wrote on social media, "LMAO," which is a common abbreviation for the phrase "laughing my a-- off." The runoff between Evette and Wilson became combustible, and in last week's final debate, both candidates launched personal attacks and accused each other of lying and misrepresenting their records. Wilson worked to contrast his tenure as attorney general with what he argued is Evette’s largely ceremonial role as lieuten…