Campaign 2018: Interview: Gov. Henry McMaster and Running Mate Pamela Evette

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster named Upstate businesswoman Pamela Evette as his running mate in the 2018 gubernatorial race Tuesday afternoon. Evette, 50, is president and CEO of Quality Business Solutions, a Travelers Rest-based company which generates nearly $1 billion in revenue. She is a self-proclaimed “Trump girl” who is in good company with McMaster, who was the first statewide elected official to endorse President Donald Trump in 2016. Evette, however, did not contribute to Trump's campaign or any other 2016 presidential candidate, according to federal records. In May of this year she did contribute the maximum amount, $3,500, to McMaster's campaign. Her company contributed $1,000 to the campaign earlier in the year as well. She and her husband both contributed $20 to Gov. Nikki Haley's 2014 campaign, according to state Ethics Commission filings. As the 2018 race heats up, Evette will serve as an important surrogate for McMaster in the conservative Upstate region. The area is home to the crucial conservative voting bloc needed to secure the Republican nomination in the upcoming June primary. The 2018 race is the first election in which gubernatorial candidates will choose their own running mates. However, amid a field of three other Republican contenders, McMaster will need to make it past the Republican primary before Evette technically is on the ticket.