Mullins McLeod: South Carolina Democrats’ Dangerous Delusion

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by WILL FOLKS

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Over the latter part of the 20th Century, South Carolina developed a well-deserved reputation as a cutthroat political battleground – a haven of unruly, unregulated operatives with short tempers, long memories and longer knives.

But while its ‘Wild West’ political gunslinging has drawn headlines, the Palmetto State has also been home to some of the nation’s most adept political messengers – spin doctors capable of crafting all manner of clever, convincing narratives in support of the preservation of their political fiefdoms.

The spin invariably has a shelf life, though. It wears off once the rubber fails to meet the road – as it inevitably fails to do in South Carolina. Still, the skill with which generations of Palmetto political operatives have successfully practiced in the art of deception over the last few decades has been something to behold.

Hell, they managed to convince an entire state it had turned “red” – even though it clearly hadn’t.

Nominally, Democrats are extinct in the Palmetto State – at least at the statewide level. No Democrat has won a statewide elected office since 2006 – and no Democrat has won a top-of-the-ticket race since 1998. Democrats occupy just one of the state’s seven congressional districts – and would likely lose that seat if the GOP didn’t collaborate with them on drawing district lines.

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As for the all-powerful S.C. General Assembly (where power is truly vested in the Palmetto State), Democrats are a super-minority in both chambers – yet they have joined with left-of-center establishment “Republicans” to form a governing uniparty.

The result of this coalition? Yeah… South Carolina is basically a blue state.

Against this backdrop stands the gubernatorial candidacy of wealthy Lowcountry trial lawyer Mullins McLeod – a definitional fortunate son masquerading as a man of the people. Despite his status as a prime beneficiary of the corrupt cabal running South Carolina into the ground, McLeod continues to portray himself as some sort of populist folk hero.

Crazy, right? Right… but then again, so is McLeod.

A candidacy which was once a mere exercise in futility has now morphed into a manifestation of deepening delusion.

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To recap: Days before he was originally scheduled to launch his gubernatorial bid, FITSNews exclusively reported McLeod had been arrested for disorderly conduct on the Charleston battery. The written report (.pdf) from his arrest was galling – with responding officers from the Charleston Police Department (CPD) noting the well-heeled attorney was “screaming” while “wearing only his underwear and shoes” at the time. When officers attempted to ascertain the reason for his bizarre behavior he “began yelling louder and locking out his arms.”

Asked for his name, McLeod said he was “God” and “Superman” (which, ironically, are more believable aliases than his current claim to be a viable Democrat candidate).

As he was being booked at the county jail, McLeod “continued to ramble incoherently and at one point lashed out and kicked another prisoner,” police alleged.

Despite this unhinged behavior, McLeod plowed forward with his candidacy…

Then, last August, video of this incident was released – damning video. The clip showed McLeod conversing with dead lawyers, berating law enforcement, dropping the N-word and threatening his Republican rivals in the governor’s race with physical violence.

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Bat. Excrement. Insanity.

Since the release of this disturbing footage, McLeod has engaged in a coordinated campaign of gaslighting and faux populism – insisting he is the focus of a massive conspiracy aimed at silencing his populist appeal.

“Like Bulworth on bad acid,” I noted in a recent column.

This week, the delusion deepened. In an official news release, McLeod boasted that his latest campaign finance report – which showed him collecting an anemic $26,270.00 between October 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 – was somehow to be interpreted as a sign of “unprecedented strength.”

“Mullins McLeod raised an unprecedented $2.4 million in 2025, a record for an off-year fundraising haul that shows McLeod’s commitment to becoming South Carolina’s next governor,” a statement from his campaign noted.

The only problem? Of that $2.4 million “record fundraising haul” touted by McLeod, $2.3 million of it comes in the form of contributions from the candidate. Nonetheless, McLeod inexplicably boasted that “in the last quarter of 2025, small dollar donations to the campaign nearly tripled from the previous quarter, demonstrating South Carolinians’ desire for a new type of leadership.”

Really?

That’s not just bad political spin, people… that’s further evidence of McLeod’s ongoing break with reality.

Ordinarily in columns like this, we’d encourage the candidate to “put the crack pipe down,” but that analogy might hit a little too close to home for McLeod – who clearly believes he deserves the perpetual suspension of disbelief regarding his increasingly tenuous grip on reality.

Democrats have tried to get McLeod to exit this race… but he has defied those calls, setting up a truly worst case scenario for the Palmetto State’s perpetual minority party. The longer McLeod stays in, the more delusional he becomes… and the deeper he drags Democrats down with him.

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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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