Live updates: SC governor candidates speak in forum

“I will sign anything that saves the life of a child,” he said.

Democrats, predictably, were on the other side of the issue.

“Senate bill 1095 is an embarrassment to women in this state and an embarrassment for the state of South Carolina,” Webster said, speaking about his daughters who have a medical condition that could turn into cancer that would not be treated if the bill were to take effect.

Johnson said he proposed a bill that would bring Democratic women and Republican women together from across the state to talk about solutions and issues facing women surrounding abortion.

“Never once did I feel like I would die based on my wife giving birth, but my wife felt like she might lose her life,” said Johnson.

– Nicholas Reynolds and Anna Wilder

Trump’s impact on the race

6:11 p.m. The first question of the night seemed tailored to the two Republicans onstage — whether they expected to receive, or what they did to deserve, Trump’s endorsement.

Norman complimented Trump’s efforts on closing the border and said he will run state like a business, similar to Trump’s background in business. Kimbrell said he hasn’t requested an endorsement but most of what he’s fought for were policies he believed Trump would back as well. Democrats, meanwhile, focused on the realities of dealing with a Republican administration while leading a state as a member of the opposing party.

“I do not expect to receive President Trump’s endorsement,” Webster, a Democrat, joked.

Johnson — who, as a show of his bipartisanship, shared he had a photo of himself and Norman at an event in Kershaw County on his office wall — said despite Trump’s untraditional and “hostile” approach to politics, he would strive to work across the aisle and find common ground to work together with the president.

– Nicholas Reynolds and Anna Wilder

Candidates take stage