Will AG Alan Wilson join the race for SC governor’s office? He’s “considering it”
Is South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson taking on outspoken U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace to replace Gov. Henry McMaster?
In a few words, he telegraphed a possible candidacy, “I’m considering it.”
Minutes before the start Beaufort County GOP’s Executive Committee meeting Monday, Wilson shared his current thinking saying that he is not yet prepared to formally announce the next step in his political career.
He is the second high-profile Republican to confirm they are considering throwing their hat in the ring for the 2026 race. Last week, Mace, the Republican member of the House of Representatives from the 1st Congressional District that includes Beaufort County and surrounding areas, confirmed to the Associated Press that she was considering a run. Her formal decision will be made in the coming weeks, Mace told the AP. Mace’s house term ends in 2027.
Wilson is currently serving in his fourth term as the state’s top prosecutor.
Wilson said that he was not going to make his decision based on what others do. When asked about Mace’s recent comments on social media about his record, Wilson said he would allow his record to speak for itself, citing his support of Trump’s Title 42, a COVID-era policy that created restrictions at the southern border to stop illegal crossing and his own work with law enforcement at all levels to go after drug cartels in the state, he said.
While Wilson spent his evening addressing the congresswoman’s voters, Mace visited the Midlands, making a stop at the Richland County GOP’s monthly meeting.
The GOP Primary will come in June 2026. Because of term limits, McMaster can’t run for reelection in 2026, leaving a wide open race for future candidates. It is the first time since 2010 that South Carolina will have an open governor’s race with no incumbent.
Several other Republicans in the reliably red state could potentially run, including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, John Warren, an Upstate businessman who runs a Bitcoin mining company, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, and state Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Dorchester.
Wilson seeks to raise profile in Lowcountry
Wilson was invited to speak at the event in Bluffton Monday night. Around 120 people filled tables at the meeting as the clock approached 5:30 p.m. Notably, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner, Beaufort County Treasurer Maria Walls and state Reps. Weston Newton and Bill Herbkersman were in attendance.
At the start of the meeting, Beaufort County GOP Chair Kevin Hennelly said that Tyler Dykes, the Bluffton man who assaulted law enforcement officers with a stolen police shield during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and has since been pardoned, was also among the crowd.
The attorney general addressed the crowd for about 30 minutes, discussing how his record “complements” the newly-elected president’s agenda. He focused specifically on his office’s role in combating drug and human trafficking, internet crimes committed against children and illegal border crossings.
“I’m here tonight because I was invited by this party to come here to report to my boss, the people of Beaufort County,” Wilson said, “I work for you.”
Where does the Greenway-era investigation stand?
The South Carolina attorney general’s office took over the investigation of former Beaufort County Administrator Eric Greenway in the final months of 2023. In Nov. 2023, the 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone requested that Wilson’s office impanel the state grand jury for the investigation into Greenway’s alleged misconduct.
When asked about the status of the investigation, Wilson said that he was not able to comment at this time about the “existence or non-existence” of the investigation.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
