Alan Wilson, anti-voting attorney general, wins South Carolina GOP governor nod

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who has used his office to back restrictive voting policies and defend President Donald Trump’s attacks on elections, won the Republican runoff for governor Tuesday.

Wilson defeated Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) after Trump ultimately endorsed both candidates.

Trump had initially endorsed Evette in the primary but later backed both candidates as Wilson gained momentum and appeared likely to win the runoff election.

Wilson will advance to the general election as the GOP nominee to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster (R). The winner of the governor’s race could play a pivotal role in the future of voting rights and redistricting in South Carolina.

Wilson’s victory comes as South Carolina Republicans have already tried once this year to redraw the state’s congressional map in a Trump-ordered push to target the state’s only Democratic-held and majority-Black U.S. House district.

That plan failed in the state Senate after some Republicans joined Democrats to block it, but the next governor could help determine whether Republicans revive the effort next year.

Wilson has his own long anti-voting record.

Earlier this year, he defended Trump’s sweeping elections executive order, which sought to give the federal government more power over voter lists, mail-in voting and election rules traditionally run by states.

“As Attorney General, I have continued to fight to secure our elections in South Carolina,” Wilson said. “It is vital to the strength of our republic that we ensure only American citizens vote in our elections and that mail-in and absentee ballots are secure and reliable.”

Wilson has also supported proof-of-citizenship voting policies, including the federal SAVE Act, a Republican-backed bill that voting rights advocates warn could disenfranchise eligible voters.

As attorney general, Wilson has repeatedly aligned South Carolina with Republican legal efforts to restrict voting access. His office has defended the state’s voter ID requirements and backed GOP-led arguments in voting and election cases across the country.

Wilson also joined Texas’ failed 2020 lawsuit seeking to challenge the presidential election results in four states that former President Joe Biden won. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the case.

Evette ran on the more explicit anti-voting platform in the runoff, including calls for proof of citizenship, tighter ID rules and an “Election Integrity Unit” within state law enforcement. 

But Wilson’s win still gives South Carolina Republicans a nominee who has supported Trump’s broader effort to tighten voting rules and exert more control over elections.

His nomination sets up a general election that could determine whether South Carolina’s next governor helps revive Republican attacks on fair maps and voting access.