Trump Endorses South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, AG Alan Wilson for Governor: ‘With Either One You Can’t Go Wrong’

June 20, 2026
1:49 am

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President Trump’s dual endorsement of South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson for governor sends a clear signal that the Palmetto State’s top job is staying in reliably pro-Second Amendment hands. Both candidates have compiled records that gun owners can trust: Evette has championed permitless carry and backed the legislature’s push to shield the state’s growing firearms-manufacturing sector, while Wilson has repeatedly defended the constitutional carry law in court and led multistate efforts to block Biden-era pistol-brace and frame-receiver rules. By refusing to pick just one, Trump is telling donors and activists that either successor will keep South Carolina in the column of states that treat the right to keep and bear arms as a feature, not a loophole to be closed. For the national 2A community the stakes are bigger than one statehouse. South Carolina has become a magnet for gun makers fleeing high-tax, high-regulation jurisdictions; Wilson’s office has already helped attract two major ammunition plants and Evette has touted the state’s lack of magazine restrictions as a selling point to industry. A friendly governor guarantees those incentives survive future court challenges and hostile federal rulemaking. Conversely, a governor willing to sign “assault-weapon” style restrictions or universal background-check expansions would instantly turn a red-state growth story into a cautionary tale for other Southern manufacturing corridors. The larger implication is that Trump is using his endorsement power to lock in a bench of governors who can resist not only state-level gun control but also any future federal attempts to conscript state police under gun-confiscation schemes. In an era when the ATF keeps rewriting definitions overnight, having two proven defenders of the right to keep and bear arms at the top of South Carolina’s ticket means the state’s sheriffs, legislators, and manufacturers will continue to enjoy top-cover from Columbia instead of finding themselves in court against their own governor.

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For the national 2A community the stakes are bigger than one statehouse. South Carolina has become a magnet for gun makers fleeing high-tax, high-regulation jurisdictions; Wilson’s office has already helped attract two major ammunition plants and Evette has touted the state’s lack of magazine restrictions as a selling point to industry. A friendly governor guarantees those incentives survive future court challenges and hostile federal rulemaking. Conversely, a governor willing to sign “assault-weapon” style restrictions or universal background-check expansions would instantly turn a red-state growth story into a cautionary tale for other Southern manufacturing corridors.

The larger implication is that Trump is using his endorsement power to lock in a bench of governors who can resist not only state-level gun control but also any future federal attempts to conscript state police under gun-confiscation schemes. In an era when the ATF keeps rewriting definitions overnight, having two proven defenders of the right to keep and bear arms at the top of South Carolina’s ticket means the state’s sheriffs, legislators, and manufacturers will continue to enjoy top-cover from Columbia instead of finding themselves in court against their own governor.

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