Pamela Evette, a Trump-backed Republican, advances in South Carolina Governor primary

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) — who campaigned on sharply restricting voting and was endorsed by President Donald Trump — advanced Tuesday to a runoff election in the GOP primary for governor, moving one step closer to becoming the Republican nominee to lead the state.

Evette will face South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), a longtime conservative prosecutor and former chair of the Republican Attorneys General Association, in the runoff. While Evette has the clearest ties to Trump’s redistricting push and the most explicit anti-voting platform, the runoff winner will be heavily favored in November.

Her advance comes at a tumultuous time for voting rights in South Carolina, as the next governor could determine whether the state makes another attempt to redraw its congressional map to weaken the political power of Black voters.

Republicans in the South Carolina legislature recently tried to redraw the state’s congressional map in a Trump-ordered push to target U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn’s 6th Congressional District, the state’s only Democratic-held U.S. House seat and its only majority-Black district. Gov. Henry McMaster (R), who is term-limited from running for reelection, initially stayed out of the redistricting push but then forced lawmakers back to a special session in mid-May to take up a new map.

The plan failed in the state Senate after some Republicans joined Democrats to block it, but the next governor could play a key role if Republicans try again next year.

Evette finished at the top of a crowded primary field, boosted by Trump’s endorsement, over a slate of notable Republican candidates including U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Wilson and others.

Trump’s endorsement of Evette was reportedly connected to McMaster’s decision to call the special redistricting session, though McMaster denied any quid pro quo.

On the campaign trail, Evette promoted an extreme anti-voting agenda closely aligned with MAGA policies.

Evette’s campaign said she would require voters to prove their citizenship before registering and tighten ID requirements. To do so, Evette said she would discontinue the “reasonable impediment” provision, which allows people without photo ID to sign an affidavit and vote via provisional ballot.

Evette also campaigned on aggressive voter purge methods, including the use of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE database as well as exchanging voter data with other states — both of which have been known to falsely flag voters as ineligible to vote.

Finally, Evette’s campaign pitched creating an “Election Integrity Unit” within the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate alleged election fraud — which is exceedingly rare and states are already adept at catching.

The runoff on June 23 will now decide whether South Carolina Republicans nominate a Trump-backed candidate who has embraced restrictive voting policies and could help revive the state’s fight over fair maps.

Yunior Rivas contributed reporting to this article.