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South Carolina’s four-term attorney general Alan Wilson announced his gubernatorial candidacy on Monday evening (June 23, 2025) at an event at Hudson’s Smokehouse – a barbecue joint in his hometown of Lexington, S.C.
Wilson, 51, enters the race as one of the frontrunners to capture the GOP gubernatorial nomination – the only race that matters at the statewide level in South Carolina. No Democrat has won a top-of-the-ticket race in the Palmetto State since 1998, and the last Democrat gubernatorial nominee – former U.S. congressman Joe Cunningham – drew an anemic 40.67% of the vote against outgoing GOP governor Henry McMaster in 2022.
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The son of U.S. congressman Joe Wilson, the veteran prosecutor has drawn generally positive reviews from GOP voters during his tenure as attorney general – which has featured several high-profile convictions (including with his office’s prosecution of convicted killer Alex Murdaugh two years ago).
In addition to his political career, Wilson has served nearly three decades in the U.S. Army National Guard, attaining the rank of colonel. He is also a three-time chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and a staunch ally of U.S. president Donald Trump.
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While S.C. lieutenant governor Pamela Evette has reportedly bragged about having already secured the endorsement of the president, denials of these claims from those close to Trump indicate she may not have the “Trump card” in her back pocket.
Sources close to Wilson also emphasized his close relationship with Trump-appointed U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi – and the fact Wilson has publicly visited the White House and Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida Mar-a-Lago mansion in recent months.
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Wilson took the stage on Monday evening as Toby Keith‘s Bush-era anthem “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” blared over Hudson’s public address system.
Wilson’s speech began by introducing his backstory, beginning with his biological father Michael Alan McCrory – a Vietnam veteran UH-1 pilot who was killed during a training accident at Fort Bragg in 1975 when Wilson was two years old.
“Heartbroken, my mom returned home to South Carolina as a young widow with a toddler,” Wilson said as his mother, Roxanne Wilson, stood behind him. “Her strength and determination during those difficult years impacted me greatly.”
“When I was four years old, mom got remarried to a young man that many of you know today, Joe Wilson,” he continued. “Throughout my childhood, he would enter the room every night and pray with me beside my bed. Next to my bed, on the nightstand were two photos, one of him and one of my biological father. He insisted on having both photos outside my bed because he wanted me to never forget where I came from.”
“He constantly reminded me of how blessed I was to not have one father, but to have had two fathers that loved me with all of their hearts,” Wilson added.
Wilson commended his father’s 31 years of service in the National Guard before detailing his own service – which included a combat deployment to Iraq and an ascent to the rank of Colonel as an Army Judge Advocate General in the National Guard.
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When Wilson addressed his role as a prosecutor he recounted the story of one young female victim whom he met early in his career.
“I once prosecuted a case involving a young woman who between the ages of 12 and 15 had been sexually abused by a man who was not only her grandfather, but was a retired police officer,” Wilson said. “This young girl’s grandfather would tell her that no one would ever believe her if she spoke out because he was a cop and she was a kid. He told her that all he needed was one juror to have reasonable doubt, and he would walk.”
“After four years of abuse, she found the courage she came forward, and by the time she was 19 years old it finally made it to trial, and I was the prosecutor assigned to it,” Wilson added.
Wilson said the case resulted in “an eight-day long trial that tore this family apart” – but one which ultimately secured the conviction and led to the severe sentencing of the grandfather.
“As he was being led out in shackles, this young woman and I were walking out of the courthouse, and I remember looking over to her, and I looked at her eyes, they were red, and her eyes were very teary,” Wilson recalled. “I asked her if she was okay, and she responded to me that for the first time in her life, she was not a victim, but a survivor.”
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“I was able to be a voice for a person who had no voice,” Wilson said.
Wilson pointed to that case as having inspired his whole career.
“This is the moment when I became committed to dedicating my life to public service,” he said. “That same commitment service is what led me to run for Attorney General, and it’s what drives me today.”
Notably, multiple of Wilson supporters who took the stage prior to his speech emphasized his advocacy for crime victims, including Lexington County sheriff Jay Koon and S.C. Crime Victim’s Council executive director Laura Hudson.
“I’ve spent decades of my life since the 80s working for crime victims and trying to equalize their importance in the court system,” Hudson said, noting “Alan has been a supporter of crime victim’s rights as long as he’s been in the attorney general’s office.”
“Since he’s been in office, he has built a very robust network of Internet Crimes Against Children task force across the state,” Koon noted.
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These repeated references to Wilson’s prosecutorial efforts against those who abuse the most vulnerable come after months of Wilson facing withering criticism from likely gubernatorial competitor Nancy Mace – including repeated allegations that he failed to sufficiently act to safeguard the interests of abused women and children.
Mace, a third-term congresswoman from the Lowcountry, blasted Wilson once again ahead of his announcement on her social media pages.
“South Carolina’s got a choice: we can keep electing politicians who protect child rapists and cover up murder cases… or we can elect someone who kicks in doors and cleans up the mess,” Mace wrote on X.
Mace also claimed Wilson’s event was “fifty feet from a school so none of Alan Wilson’s supporters on the sex offender registry could make it.”
Upstate S.C. senator Josh Kimbrell did Wilson no favors, either, when he sent out a press release announcing his candidacy for governor just hours before Wilson made his announcement.
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In his speech, Wilson sought to brand himself as a full-spectrum conservative ready to tackle the Palmetto State’s many chronic problems.
“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,” he said. “Our state can reach even greater heights, explosive economic growth, a full shutdown of wasteful government spending, better education for more children and revitalized infrastructure.”
According to Wilson, “it requires a fighter to get us there, a battle tested conservative and a proven winner who will never stop until the job is done.”
“It demands a leader who understands the duty of service and what it means to answer the call I’m ready to lead that fight to turn the page to what our state could be, to what is soon will be,” he continued. “That is why today I’m announcing my candidacy to be the next governor of South Carolina.”
Wilson vowed to succeed where other GOP politicians have failed – notably in eliminating the Palmetto State’s oppressively high individual income tax rate.
“As your governor I will deliver meaningful relief to hard working people,” he said. “We’re going to finally eliminate the state income tax.”
According to Wilson, getting rid of this levy would provide “the jet fuel our state needs to strengthen its competitive advantage in the region.”
Wilson blasted South Carolina’s notorious pork-filled budgets, promising “no more fraudulent or wasteful spending under my administration.”
“That includes cutting pork from the state budget,” he added. “Where there’s a budget surplus, that money should be used for relief, not political favors.”
Wilson also denounced the state’s civil and criminal legal environments.
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“We’re going to continue on judicial reform,” he said. “We’re going to get it over the goal line. That means no more outsized influence from a select small group of legislators and individuals who are projecting over our judicial system. We’re going to end it.”
“This also means providing businesses with a legal climate that fosters fairness, transparency, predictability and accountability,” Wilson said.
Wilson indicted his desire to reduce regulations through the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) program in the Palmetto State, as well as his support for universal school choice.
He said he would “prioritize our state’s infrastructure,” promising “clearer roads, less congestion, and a smarter growth that respects the character of our communities.”
Returning to personal matters, Wilson thanked his wife – Jennifer Wilson – and recounted the story of her battle with breast cancer.
“Over the last several years, I’ve watched you overcome so much,” he said. “I remember the courage and the determination you had when you were diagnosed with breast cancer, I remember all that you endured. I remember the day that I shaved your head on the back porch… because your hair had started falling out – I remember the biopsies, the double mastectomy, the numerous reconstructive surgeries, and the six months of brutal chemotherapy that made you so sick.”
“When I think about how difficult this campaign is going to be over the next twelve months, I want you to know that I will be thinking of you often,” Wilson continued. “Watching your courage and perseverance as you battled cancer was an inspiration to me.”
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RELATED | UPSTATE SENATOR ANNOUNCES RUN FOR GOVERNOR
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Wilson concluded his speech with the story of a convoy he commanded while deployed in Mosul, Iraq which was attacked with an improvised explosive device.
“The explosion was loud and it was violent,” he recalled. “I distinctly remember my ears were ringing loudly, and it was difficult to hear anything. I looked out of my window and through the smoke, as it slowly cleared, I could see those young soldiers in the lead gunship vehicle pulling back into the kill zone where my vehicle the tractor trailer were located. They crawled onto a burning tractor trailer immediately behind me and pulled out the two drivers. They secured them into the vehicle, seconds before that tractor trailer was engulfed in a giant fireball.”
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At his gubernatorial campaign announcement @AGAlanWilson told the story of commanding a convoy in Mosul, Iraq through an IED attack.
— Dylan Nolan (@dnolan2000) June 24, 2025
"Shrapnel from the explosion disabled the truck behind me, causing it to catch on fire. That same shrapnel then tore through my vehicle…" pic.twitter.com/iEbFcHJHDm
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“As soon as I confirmed that our soldiers were safely secure, I immediately ordered all vehicles to clear the area, we then drove several miles to a forward operating base to secure our remaining payload and to take stock of what just happened to all of us,” Wilson continued. “What I later learned was that shrapnel from the explosion disabled the truck behind me, causing it to catch on fire. That same shrapnel then tore through my vehicle, missing me and the other two passengers by inches.”
“That moment in time, back in August, 2004 was a pivotal point in my life,” Wilson said. “Every big decision I have made over the last twenty years has in some way, been influenced by that life changing event, that pivotal moment, my decision to run for governor – it’s no different. That life changing moment for me 21 years ago was a pivotal point in my life. Just as this election is a pivotal point for South Carolina, this is a moment in time that will positively shape our state’s future for generations to come. It won’t be easy, but I never shy away from a fight.”
“It’s time to get to work. Thank you. Thank you all. God bless you all, and God bless the great state of South Carolina,” Wilson concluded.
Count on FITSNews for continued coverage of the 2026 South Carolina governor’s race… including the impending announcements of multiple additional contenders for the GOP and Democrat gubernatorial nominations.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Via: Travis Bell)
Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.
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1 comment
Let’s see that was the war that we were lied into, right? What was it…..WMD’s….that’s it Anthrax and harboring terrorists… yeah that’s it. All based on lies and Empire and you have never spoken out about that illegal war have you? No, of course not.
How many died or were wounded in the dirty little lie?
The “pivotal moment” should have been when you realized our government lied and used our soldiers as cannon fodder for political games. Your “pivotal moment” should have been when you refused to go fight in an unconstitutional war but that “pivotal moment” has never even come to be a thought in your head. Why? Because the Constitution doesn’t really matter much anymore.
Don’t worry Alan from what I can tell there is no shinning star in this clown show so put on the makeup, the big red nose, the big red shoes and jump on the circus bus! See ya on the campaign trail!