COLUMBIA — Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was very clear when he told people his reason for being in South Carolina this past week: he wanted to help Alan Wilson become the next governor of the Palmetto State.

For a full day in the blazing South Carolina heat, Cruz and Wilson traveled across the Midlands June 22 to deliver the closing argument for Wilson’s candidacy, from lakeside ice cream socials to full VFW halls and closed-door meetings with law enforcement.

They posed for photos with seemingly everyone who packed into the dining room of a Columbia barbecue restaurant owned by local Republican powerbroker Kirkman Finlay. The Texan played to the crowd with a quip that the state made some “mighty fine barbecue.”

And Cruz — putting his money where his mouth was — directed a quarter-million dollars in cable television advertising support to boost Wilson’s candidacy in opponent Pamela Evette’s backyard of Greenville County through his Truth and Courage political action committee.

“My philosophy is simple: I support the most conservative candidate who can win,” he told the crowd in Columbia the night before voters went to the polls.

The political play

But what was Cruz really doing here? Reporters tried to find out, but had little luck.

Was it a play for 2028?

Cruz side-stepped the question, noting he had campaigned for conservative candidates in multiple states since his election to the Senate more than a dozen years ago.

“I care deeply who the leaders are that have the responsibility with steering our nation — with steering our states — in the right direction,” he told reporters after more than one hour shaking hands with supporters.

But plenty already think he is.

Texas U.S. Senate colleague John Cornyn said he believes Cruz covets the presidency during a recent interview with D.C. outlet Semafor. Others say his recent actions show Cruz “is clearly running for president,” as Vice President and potential 2028 candidate J.D. Vance said during a podcast appearance with conservative commentator Megyn Kelley on June 17. The local press seemed to think so too.

• “Sen. Ted Cruz makes Iowa appearance, fueling speculation about another presidential bid” Texas Tribune — May 2, 2026

• “Is Ted Cruz building up to another presidential run?” San Antonio Express-News — April 14, 2026.

Was it a jab at President Donald Trump?

Cruz this election cycle had endorsed opposite Trump in multiple races, lending his backing for Wilson shortly before Trump surprisingly abandoned his “complete and total endorsement” of Evette to co-endorse Wilson in the June 23 runoff.

He has also shown a propensity to criticize Trump behind closed doors, as recordings of conversations with donors detailed by news site Axios earlier this year describe.

But he dodged several attempts by a Post and Courier reporter to lock down the significance of that decision, including a question whether Trump occasionally failed to choose the most conservative candidates available.

“President Trump has been an extraordinary president, and I’m proud to work hand in hand with him,” he said. “He makes his determinations, I make my determinations. They are often usually one and the same; occasionally, they differ.”

So how serious is the prospect of a run for president in 2028? For Republicans and Democrats alike, South Carolina will continue to be a key early primary state in 2028.

• Multiple possible contenders for the Democratic nomination that year — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Arizona politicians Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker and Silicon Valley-area Congressman Ro Khanna — have already been active here, while Republicans plot their next moves in anticipation of the winding down of the 80-year-old Trump’s hold on the contemporary GOP.

• Cruz has also been here before, appearing with Wilson during a series of town halls the then-attorney general held with multiple presidential hopefuls during Cruz’s bid for the presidency in 2016.

Cruz seems to be playing the long game. Asked one of the essential questions of any candidate seeking South Carolinians’ vote — their preferred barbecue sauce — Cruz remained non-committal.

“The best sauce is no sauce at all,” Cruz said. “Cook the meat right, you don’t need sauce.”

He even continued to decline a response on the crucial follow-up: what sauce he preferred for pulled pork.

“Pulled pork would be delicious,” he said. “Brisket is fantastic. I’m kind of partial to jalapeno and cheddar sausage. That is a quality piece of art.”

Of note: There was, in fact, sauce present at a barbecue spread Cruz prepared for New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as the result of a wager between the pair of them on the outcome of the recent NBA finals matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

Quote of the week

“I’m gonna go donate to him again, to encourage him to run again.”

— State Rep. Jay Kilmartin, R-Lexington, after the House Republican Caucus banded with Democrats to recommit his bill to legalize the over-the-counter sale of human-grade Ivermectin June 25 after previously passing both the House and Senate by unanimous vote.

Kilmartin, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said the motion by House Majority Leader Davey Hiott to kill the bill was a penalty for his financial support of Statehouse candidate John Allen in his primary bid against incumbent Lexington Republican Rep. Chris Wooten in this past month’s elections.