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SC Attorney General Alan Wilson kicks off bid for governor. 5 things to know
Attorney General Alan Wilson launched his bid Monday for the Republican nomination for governor, as the state's top prosecutor looks to become the state's top executive.
'Today is a pivotal moment for our state,' Wilson said in his remarks. 'The future of South Carolina depends on leadership that is battle-tested and committed to conservative values.'
Wilson is the second of the top potential Republican candidates to formally jump into the race, following state Sen. Josh Kimbrell's announcement, for the GOP nomination to succeed Gov. Henry McMaster, who can't run for reelection in 2026.
Wilson is South Carolina's attorney general. He was first elected in 2010.
His adoptive father is U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson who adopted Alan Wilson when he was four years old. Joe Wilson had married Alan's mother Roxanne. Alan Wilson's biological father Michael McCrory died in a military helicopter training accident when Alan was two-years-old.
Alan Wilson has served in the Army National Guard for nearly 30 years, which includes a combat tour in Iraq. He has the rank of colonel.
He is currently paid $208,000 a year to be the state's top prosecutor. He is now seeking a job that pays $106,000 a year, but comes with a mansion in Columbia.
Wilson, 51, and his wife, Jennifer, have two children.
He has good name recognition in the state and moving to the governor's office is a natural step. A Winthrop University Poll found 44% of Republican voters were familiar with him.
Wilson is in his fourth term as attorney general. Being attorney general gives him a bully pulpit to weigh in on national issues from time to time.
'The attorney general really is somebody who's exposed to and has a built-in understanding of a whole host of host of issues affecting the state,' said Alex Stroman, the former executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, who doesn't plan to work for any campaign this cycle.
He also has the experience of running a state agency and his office serves as the state's top prosecutor.
'It makes sense for Alan Wilson to jump into the governor's race because it is an open race, and like every attorney general, he has secured executive experience, had the chance to prosecute criminals and partner with the administration on public safety issues that people care about,' said Rob Godfrey, a longtime Republican operative in South Carolina, who also won't work for any candidate this cycle.
Wilson backed Trump's 2024 reelection bid ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. The president's campaign rolled out Wilson's endorsement in September 2023 ahead of Trump's visit to Summerville. Wilson also traveled to New Hampshire before the Granite State's primary and spoke at a news conference about immigration policy touting Trump's work and criticizing Biden.
During the Biden administration Wilson repeatedly challenged the administration by joining lawsuits to stop administration initiatives.
Wilson also traveled to New York during Trump's hush money trial to speak out against the charges.
'I proudly sat behind President Trump in the courthouse during his trial, and I fought with him every way that I knew how to,' Wilson said. 'He's had our back, and I've got his.'
He also is defending the president's use of the national guard in response to ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
He has a fundraising base he can turn to for this race. Wilson reported more than $528,000 cash on hand in his last ethics filing. However, how much of that amount can be transferred to a new account has yet to be determined.
He's also a name voters are used to seeing in the last four midterm elections.
'That muscle memory for voters is something that he has that I think is a real strong benefit, combined with his ability to fund raise and his outspokenness on issues of national concern, whether it be border security, immigration, boys in girls sports or transgender issues, he's really articulated a vision for that, in addition to the criminal prosecutions that his office has successfully handled, including high-profile cases,' Stroman said.
As attorney general, his office sends out news releases showing efforts to defend conservative policies and Trump initiatives. Although news releases out of the attorney general's office will most likely not encourage people to back Wilson's campaign, they will have the secondary affect of promoting Wilson.
'He has a record of statewide service about which I'm sure we'll hear in the weeks and months and year ahead,' Godfrey said.
Wilson has been repeatedly been hit by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who also is considering a run the GOP nomination for governor, over whether he is effective as an attorney general in defending women and children, and how well Wilson has fought against illegal immigration.
Wilson may have a strong record, but Mace has sought to turn a potential strength into a weakness for the attorney general.
He may also have to answer criticisms after being linked to the investigations into political consultant Richard Quinn Sr. A state grand jury report, which was released several weeks before the 2018 election, said Wilson impeded the investigation into Quinn. Still, voters reelected Wilson in 2018 and he was never charged with any wrongdoing.
The Quinn investigation contributed to Wilson having his only true challenging reelection campaign in 2018 as he was forced into a runoff for the GOP nomination. His other reelection bids have been relatively easy.
'When you jump in the fray of a competitive primary things are a bit more spirited, and your record comes into closer focus for voters than it may have before,' Godfrey said. 'The stakes are a bit higher and so that means you're going to have to do a lot more work than you did in some of your prior races.'
Some elected officials may even joke that 'A.G.' stands for aspiring governor. But history may not be on Wilson's side. The last time South Carolina elected a sitting attorney general directly to the governor's office was in the 1940s. McMaster, who served as attorney general finished third in the 2010 GOP primary, and only became governor after he was elevated from the lieutenant governor's office after Gov. Nikki Haley was appointed to ambassador to the United Nations.
Attorneys general may fight initiatives on the federal level if they're from the opposite party, but 'a lot of that doesn't really translate into governor's races,' Stroman said.
