Alan Wilson wins South Carolina governor race by 93,707 votes, AP reports

South Carolina voters handed the governor’s mansion to Republican Alan Wilson on Tuesday night, but the margin was far narrower than the coronation many expected: with an estimated 98% of votes counted, Wilson, the state’s former attorney general, led Democrat Dr. Jermaine Johnson 51.7% to 47%, or 1,046,315 votes to 952,608 — a spread of 93,707 votes, WMBF reported, citing the Associated Press. Johnson conceded Tuesday night, and Wilson declared victory shortly after 11 p.m. at a joint Republican watch party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, Yahoo reported.

No Democrat has won the governor’s mansion since 1998, and no Democratic candidate had finished within a single-digit margin in nearly a decade, Yahoo noted. A five-point win in a state where the general election for Republicans has long been routine is the closest gubernatorial contest South Carolina has seen in years — four years earlier, Yahoo pointed out, the race between incumbent Henry McMaster and Democrat Joe Cunningham was called at 8:49 p.m. with McMaster winning by double digits.

WILSON WINS. Thank you, South Carolina. I made the case for a stronger, safer, and more conservative future, and I'm ready to finish the job. Early voting starts tomorrow and Thursday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Runoff Day is June 23. Let's finish the job. pic.twitter.com/PrapfHWDOK

— https://x.com/AGAlanWilson/status/2067033900044476566

Wilson Outlines Inclusive Governance Priorities

“Please know this,” he said, according to Yahoo.

His campaign outlined an affordability agenda: eliminating the state’s individual income tax, reducing property taxes, backing education and public safety initiatives, and auditing state agencies, WMBF reported. His running mate, Mike Reichenbach, will serve as lieutenant governor. Results remain unofficial until certified.

Alan Wilson declares victory in South Carolina governor’s race

A Bruising Road to the Nomination — and a Weakened Legislature

Yahoo reported that he emerged from a six-candidate primary in second place and then won a runoff by a commanding 37 points over his rival, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who had been endorsed by Donald Trump. Wilson, who has served four terms as the state’s top prosecutor, leaned on his in-state network and law-and-order record, and Trump ultimately issued a joint endorsement of Evette and Wilson days before the primary. Though heavily outspent by Evette, Wilson entered the general election with a sizeable war chest.

Johnson, a Hopkins-area state representative and former professional basketball player, defeated two self-funded millionaire candidates in the Democratic primary without a runoff, Yahoo reported — but his campaign, despite naming former Charleston Democratic Party chairman Sam Skardon as his running mate, never raised enough to match Wilson statewide, and reportedly failed to book a statewide television ad buy.

Alan Wilson wins South Carolina governor race by 93,707 votes, AP reports — Photo: yahoo.com

Yahoo reported that at least ten incumbent Republicans in the Statehouse appeared to have lost their seats, meaning Wilson will enter his first term without the supermajority in the House and Senate that term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster enjoyed in his final term. Republicans nonetheless held all of the state’s constitutional offices, from attorney general to comptroller general. Wilson becomes the second consecutive former state attorney general to serve as governor after McMaster.

Other Candidates and What Comes Next

Two third-party candidates rounded out the ballot: United Citizens Party candidate Michael Addison received 16,055 votes, and Green Party candidate Walid Hakim received 9,024 votes, according to WMBF’s tally from the Associated Press. With the race called and Johnson’s concession in, the focus shifts to certification of the unofficial results and to whether Wilson can translate his affordability agenda — particularly the elimination of the state’s individual income tax — into legislation without the supermajority in the House and Senate that his predecessor benefitted from.