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by WILL FOLKS
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The race to become South Carolina’s next top prosecutor – a position arguably as influential as the governor – saw major developments this week as the state’s first circuit solicitor, David Pascoe, formally entered the contest and announced an aggressive anti-corruption agenda.
Pascoe is one of three contenders for this office – eighth circuit solicitor David Stumbo and state senator Stephen Goldfinch are also running – but the field is far from set, it would appear.
According to sources familiar with his plans, S.C. fourth district congressman William Timmons – who narrowly survived a primary challenge last fall – is considering running for the post. There’s a big caveat to his contemplations, though.
Per our sources, Timmons would only run for attorney general if Henry D. McMaster Jr. – whose name has been touted as a potential contender – declined to seek the office. McMaster Jr., 37, is a retail and hospitality industry attorney from Columbia, S.C. His father, governor Henry McMaster, served as attorney general from 2003-2011.
“(He’s) all in for the governor’s son,” a source familiar with Timmons’ plans told FITSNews, describing his backing of McMaster as “unconditional.”
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Timmons was not immediately available for comment regarding these reports, but several of his political intimates confirmed the accuracy of the information we obtained.
“If McMaster is in, he’s out,” one told us. “If McMaster is out, he’s almost assuredly going to run.”
McMaster Jr.’s status as a potential candidate has been a subject of intense debate among Palmetto political insiders as field for attorney general has coalesced. Some are speculating the governor’s son will not run due to a lack of experience – while others believe he will wait to announce until late in the cycle to avoid criticism of his aforementioned inexperience.
Still others believe he is destined to run – and to receive a potentially decisive presidential endorsement by virtue of his father’s close relationship with Donald Trump.
Sources familiar with McMaster Jr.’s thinking confirmed delays in his timetable for announcing his decision, although they seemed to indicate those delays were not strategic – and were more likely than not signs of “him not doing it.”
Could that open the door for Timmons?
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RELATED | ‘JUDGE ME BY MY ENEMIES’
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A former prosecutor, Timmons’ combustible personal life has created headaches for him in the past – and nearly cost him his seat in congress. Could those headaches resurface in a statewide election?
Sources close to the fourth-term congressman confirmed he is no longer dating his former girlfriend – Charleston, S.C. tech executive Paula Dhier – but they described the couple’s breakup as amicable.
Timmons, 41, hails from a fifth-generation, über-wealthy, über-influential family in Greenville, S.C. His great-grandfather – William R. Timmons Sr. – built an empire in the Upstate beginning in the mid-1920s, focusing on the real estate, trucking and insurance industries. The family – which helped establish the city’s civic and philanthropic communities – is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
South Carolina’s top prosecutorial position is coming open because the current occupant of the office – four-term attorney general Alan Wilson – is campaigning for governor. Wilson has held the office since 2011. Filing for partisan primary offices opens next March – with the GOP primary scheduled for June 9, 2026. If no candidate wins a majority of votes in that race, a runoff election between the top two candidates would be held two weeks later.
The GOP primary is all but assured of determining the eventual occupant of this office, as no Democrat has won a statewide race in South Carolina since 2006. The last Democrat to win election as attorney general? Thomas Medlock, who won a third term in office in 1990.
Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we track this race and other upcoming elections as part of our Crossroads 2026 coverage…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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5 comments
And the Deep State beat goes on. Why are we continually cursed with generational political dynasties as our only “choices”? This sucks ass!
If someone genuinely wanted to be a State AG because they truly wanted to do those core things that that make up the job (prosecuting criminals, rooting out corruption, taking up lawsuits against federal overreach, giving sound legal guidance the State’s various agencies and officials) then they would guide their career path to gain experience in at least one or two of those core functions. Neither Timmons nor McMaster Jr. have done any of those things. So what that tells you- and this doesn’t mean they are bad people or anything like that – is that they just view this as either some sort of entitlement or a brief stepping stone to higher political ambitions. The AG is possibly the single most powerful elected official in SC government in terms of what they can do towards the life, limb, and property of the State’s citizens – the powers and immunities they hold are awesome indeed. Dilettantes of the law should not be in the room for consideration of that post. They must be people who understand the grave seriousness and extremely high moral character that should hold those powers. Vindictiveness, narcissism, cowardice are all disqualifying characteristics (and I’m not saying that McM Jr. or Timmons are that way). Looking at the field of publicly declared candidates, really only Stumbo or Pascoe should be under any serious consideration – the rest are either too dangerous in terms of their personality traits, or just not prepared for the job.
Well said.
Excellent points. I agree, well said.
Fully agree with everything you said, except for Pascoe. He is the classic definition of a RINO, and lining up the actual results of him versus Stumbo only reinforces this. Not even close, Stumbo has the resume, experience, and existing record of prosecutions that make him the most qualified. If anyone is running and has the last name of any incumbent, I will not even consider them. It’s time to clean house.