Although millionaire businessman John Warren couldn’t overcome President Donald Trump’s late endorsement of Gov. Henry McMaster, Warren still finished a strong second in a June 26 run-off election in South Carolina.

In the June 12 Republican gubernatorial primary, the 39-year-old political novice finished a distant second to McMaster, polling 28 percent to the governor’s 42 percent. However, Warren lost by less than half that margin in the run-off, 53-47 percent.

Virtually unknown when he entered the race in February, the former Marine and owner of a real estate investment company is seen as a possible challenger in 2020 to current Sen. Lindsey Graham.

“(Warren) started this race with literally zero name recognition,” Furman University political scientist Danielle Vinson told The State newspaper of Columbia. “The fact he made it to the runoff is (impressive.)”

During the campaign, commercial real estate broker Mark Kirby—who has known Warren since childhood—called Warren a good listener and a compassionate person who puts others first.

“One of John’s strengths is his consistency of character,” Kirby told the Greenville Sun. “He is a strong man of faith in God.”