South Carolina voters participate this Tuesday (9) in the primaries for governor and United States Senate, in a test of Donald Trump’s influence in a state dominated by Republicans for decades.
In the race for state government, Trump supports current lieutenant governor Pamela Evette, who is competing for the Republican nomination against names such as federal deputy Nancy Mace, deputy Ralph Norman and businessman Rom Reddy. The expectation is to assess whether the president’s support will be enough to guarantee Evette’s victory in the first round or take the dispute to a second round on June 23.
The search for Trump’s support marked the Republican campaign. Evette frequently highlighted her closeness to the president and also received the support of Governor Henry McMaster, a historic ally of the Republican. Mace, in turn, is trying to maintain space within the Trumpist base despite criticism of the president after the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Another relevant dispute is the Republican primary for the Senate. Senator Lindsey Graham seeks the nomination to run for a fifth term. A close ally of Trump and one of his most frequent interlocutors in Congress, Graham received the presidential endorsement even before the formal start of the campaign.
His main opponent is businessman Mark Lynch, who presents himself as an “America First” candidate and argues that Graham is not conservative enough to represent the state. Trump, however, has already classified Lynch on social media as a “lunatic” and a “disaster for the Republican Party”.
Democrats are trying to end a long streak of winning state elections. In the race for governor, state representative Jermaine Johnson appears among the party’s main candidates. For the Senate, doctor Annie Andrews is running for the Democratic nomination. Despite the expectation that dissatisfaction with Trump will benefit the opposition, Democrats face a difficult task in a state where they have not won the government or a seat in the Senate for decades. Source: Associated Press.
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*Content translated with the help of Artificial Intelligence, reviewed and edited by the Editorial Team BroadcastGrupo Estado’s real-time news system.
