Republican Alan Wilson elected SC’s next governor; Dems celebrate ‘foundation’

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s four-term GOP attorney general is moving to the Governor’s Mansion, but the closer-than-expected finish gave Democrats reason to rejoice.   

Voters elected Republican Alan Wilson as South Carolina’s next governor and state Sen. Mike Reichenbach as lieutenant governor. 

“Tonight, I am deeply humbled and grateful for the trust the people of South Carolina have placed in me,” Wilson said in a statement before taking the stage, as he thanked his team and their shared vision. “Now it’s time to turn that vision into action, bring our state together, and deliver the results South Carolinians deserve.”

He won with about 52% of the vote over Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, according to unofficial results from the state Election Commission. 

Johnson said Wilson told him he needed Johnson’s help to unite South Carolina. When he gets home, Johnson said, he’ll pray for Wilson.

“I believe that when we wish our leaders to fail, we are wishing our own selves to fail,” Johnson said at his election night party at Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia. “So, I don’t want him to fail. I want him to be the best governor this state has ever seen.”

Johnson considered dropping out of the race at one point ahead of the primary. But his team convinced him to stay, and he ultimately won the nomination.

“Despite everything, we still made history in this race,” he said. “There are gonna be a lot of people who are coming behind me to follow in my footsteps,” he said, pointing out he’s only the state’s second Black nominee for governor.

The results were much closer than expected. The Associated Press had yet to call the race when Johnson conceded at 10:31 p.m.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the state House’s longest-serving member, told Democrats as results came in that they’d already won with record-breaking turnout and enthusiasm.

Voters blew past several records for gubernatorial elections in South Carolina, with highest early voting numbers, total ballots cast, and largest turnout by percentage.

About 2.1 million people voted, a whopping 60% of registered voters, according to unofficial results.

“What we have here is a foundation that has been established,” the Orangeburg Democrat said at Brookland Baptist. “We are not turning back.”

Wilson’s message to voters

When he took the stage, Wilson addressed the people who did not vote for him.

“It is not lost on me that many who are watching tonight are disappointed in this particular race,” he said after Johnson conceded.

“Please know this: regardless of where you stand on this election or your opinion of me, it is my sincere intention to make life better for you and your family,” he said. “I will never apologize for my conservative views, nor would I ask anyone to apologize for their particular views. It’s okay to disagree from time to time, folks. Robust debate is foundational to any democracy. However, that debate should never become so toxic that we are incapable of working together.

“As your governor, I aspire to be a transformational governor, not a transitional governor,” he concluded.

Wilson will take the helm from his former boss, Gov. Henry McMaster, South Carolina’s oldest and longest-serving governor in state history. Wilson was an assistant attorney general when McMaster was the state’s chief prosecutor.

Wilson, whose 31 years in the Army National Guard includes a combat tour in Iraq, campaigned as a career prosecutor and career soldier who will “continue to fight for the state of South Carolina.”

His platform included familiar GOP pledges to push for lowering taxes, expanding school choice, and continuing to “back the blue.”

He’s touted working with local, state and federal law enforcement officers in a tenure that spanned two Democrats and one Republican in the White House.

“I earned the respect of a large majority of the sheriffs and law enforcement in this state because they trust me to fight for you,” Wilson said during an Oct. 29 GOP rally in Rock Hill ahead of President Donald Trump taking the stage.

“I’m honored that they have my back, and I’m going to have their back because they’ve got your back. And I’ve also got Donald Trump’s back because he has your back.” 

He’s gone to court repeatedly to combat the Obama and Biden administrations and support the Trump administration. Last year alone, Wilson’s office announced joining other Republicans or declared victory on more than 60 multi-state lawsuits.

Yet, he didn’t initially have Trump’s endorsement.

The president instead backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette ahead of a contentious, five-way GOP primary in June, propelling her into a first-place finish heading into the runoff, though by less than 3 percentage points. With Wilson showing momentum and picking up endorsements from their former competitors, Trump endorsed Wilson too — saying voters couldn’t go wrong with either candidate.

Wilson then trounced Evette by 37 percentage points, a historic margin, to become the GOP nominee.

Lieutenant governor makes history

Wilson was the first gubernatorial candidate of either party to pick a running mate. He chose a Pee Dee legislator with a common bond: Like Wilson, the adopted son of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, Reichenbach was adopted as a child.

The Florence Republican, first elected to the state Senate in a 2022 special election, becomes the first Black lieutenant governor since Reconstruction.

His role is largely up to Wilson. The job of lieutenant governor has no official duties in state law, other than stepping up if something happens to the governor.

When Wilson announced his pick in January, Reichenbach said he hopes to use the job as a metaphorical megaphone to advocate for issues that are deeply personal for him, such as making adoptions easier and more affordable.

History and hope

Johnson campaigned on a “New SC,” arguing that the Republican dominance over state politics hasn’t delivered for residents. 

South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat to the governor’s office since 1998, when state-Rep. Jim Hodges ousted David Beasley. It’s been 20 years since a Democrat won any statewide office.

Tawana Allen, a 66-year-old retiree at Johnson’s watch party, said she remembers when Hodges was in office and has hoped ever since that another Democrat would win, she said.

“I feel confident. I feel positive,” Allen, who lives in Columbia, said as results came in. “The whole day, I’ve felt positive, and I just think, hey, South Carolina needs to change.”

Keon Washington, who wrote Johnson’s campaign song, said he thought Johnson had the “it” factor.

“I was doing it for hope, and we got that hope,” the 39-year-old artist and musician from Greenville said after Johnson conceded.

It was the first open gubernatorial race since 2010, when state Rep. Nikki Haley became the state’s first female and first minority governor. Mid-way through her second term, Haley became Trump’s first United Nations ambassador, allowing then-Lt. Gov. McMaster to ascend to the job in January 2017.

In South Carolina, governors can’t be elected to more than two consecutive terms. But McMaster was in office for nearly two years before voters first elected him, giving him 10 total years.

Reporter Katharine Wilson contributed to this report.