Republican Alan Wilson announces bid for South Carolina governor

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) — Alan Wilson, South Carolina’s longtime attorney general, has officially launched his 2026 campaign for governor.

“Today marks the beginning of a new fight, a fight to lead South Carolina into the future with the energy of a new generation and unwavering respect for our South Carolina values,” Wilson, 51, told a packed room of supporters June 23 at Hudson’s Smokehouse in Lexington.

The four-term Republican spent much of his remarks running through a list of accomplishments made during his time as attorney general from establishing a task force dedicated to investigating human trafficking to taking “hundreds of drug traffickers and drug dealers” off the streets.

Wilson has also pushed for stronger laws to protect children against sexual exploitation, backing several bills in the recent legislative session that close loopholes in the judicial system. He’s also led the charge nationally in urging federal lawmakers to study how artifiical intelligence can be used to exploit young people and implement safeguards.

“I’m proud of our winning efforts to defend liberty and protect the people of South Carolina,” he said, touting himself as a “battle-tested conservative and proven winner.”

While being tough-on-crime will likely remain a central message throughout Wilson’s campaign, he also plans to bring economic issues to the forefront, calling for the elimination of the state income tax and regulatory reforms.

“We’ll create more jobs, drive more investment into the economy, and create more opportunities for you and your family,” he said.

“We’re going to DOGE South Carolina government from top to bottom,” Wilson continued, referencing the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative taksed with reducing the size and scope of the federal government through spending and job cuts.

Wilson is expected to face several other contenders in the race for the Republican nomination, including Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell.

Kimbrell (R-Spartanburg) shared his intention to run the morning of Wilson’s annoucement, with a formal launch scheduled for later in the week in Inman, S.C.

“My impetus, if you will, to get into the race is that I’m actually at the State House. I’m not in the U.S. Capitol, i’m not in Washington, I’m not spending my time on Capitol Hill, I’m spending my time wading through the issues the governor is going to have to deal with,” he said in an interview with News 2. “Whether it’s tort reform, tax reform, educational policy issues, I’m one of the few people that’s jumped into this race that’s actually been a legislator in South Carolina for any significant period of time.”

Republicans are expected to jockey hard for an endorsement from President Donald Trump in the primary race, who remains a wildly popular figure in ruby-red South Carolina.

Whoever wins the GOP nomination next June will be heavily favored heading into the general election as no Democrat has won a statewide office in decades. Governor Henry McMaster, who defeated Democrat Joe Cunningham by nearly 18 points in 2022, could not run again due to term limits.

State Rep. Jermaine Johnson (D-Richland), who recently launched an exploratory commitee, is the only person to publicly express interest on the Democratic side to date.

Filing for the 2026 race opens next March.