Trump v. Sloppy Steve, Who Will SC Republicans Pick?

Trump: “Choose Bannon or Me”

What a difference a few months makes.
Back in November, the Republicans running for governor in South Carolina were falling over themselves to welcome Steve Bannon to their state. Governor Henry McMaster, Catherine Templeton, and Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant all “fussed and fawned” over the alt-right darling during his appearance at the Citadel Republican Society dinner.
From the Post and Courier:
So three of South Carolina’s Republican candidates for governor descended on Charleston Friday night to kiss Steve Bannon’s … ring. They fussed and fawned over the poster boy for white nationalists and alt-righters like a bunch of teenyboppers at a Justin Bieber concert.
But in light of the very public feud between Bannon and the president, Trump is giving them an ultimatum: “Choose Bannon or me.” Straddling the fence, Templeton’s position as of last Friday, is no longer an option.
So, will Templeton dump the man she called a “patriot…who speaks for the rest of us?” Can McMaster ditch the person he praised as the mastermind in the 2016 presidential election? Will Bryant take back his lionization of Bannon’s “courage to challenge the establishment.”
The president – who they all love so much – demands it.
“President Trump made it very clear: you either stand with him or Steve Bannon,” said DGA Deputy Press Secretary Alex Japko. “Now Governor McMaster, Catherine Templeton, and Lt. Governor Kevin Bryant have a choice to make: take back their praise of Bannon or suffer the consequences. This primary is getting nasty, and any candidate on the wrong side of Trump is going to be in real trouble.”

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