Crossroads 2026: S.C. Gubernatorial Frontrunner Alan Wilson Drops First Statewide Ad

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

by WILL FOLKS

***

Leading in public opinion polls and in the critical campaign fundraising battle, four-term South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson is pressing his advantage in the Palmetto State governor’s race this week – launching his first statewide television advertisement of the 2026 campaign.

Entitled “Convoy,” the thirty-second spot tells the story of Wilson’s combat deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Then a captain in the National Guard (he has since attained the rank of colonel), Wilson was leading a platoon through Iraq when he and his fellow soldiers were struck by an improvised explosive device.

“I was driving when we got hit,” sergeant Joe Merritt recalled in the ad. “I remember the blast passing through us, through our bodies, kind of surreal.”

“They were just in a kill zone,” one of Wilson’s commenders said of the incident.

***

“Alan was a steady constant voice of calm and direction,” Merritt said of his brother in arms.

“If you want to go to battle with anybody by your side, you want Alan Wilson,” retired lieutenant colonel Scott Bell added.

Narrated entirely by his fellow combat veterans, Wilson’s introductory statewide ad is a striking contrast to the typical political pablum being pumped across voters’ various screens during the current election cycle.

“It’s one of those spots that could cut through the noise,” one South Carolina politico unaffiliated with any campaign told us. “It’s a spot that could really resonate with people.”

While Wilson is a known commodity to the vast majority of Palmetto State Republicans, his new ad seeks to define him through his service – “underscoring the courage he will bring as our next governor,” according to a release from his campaign. Wilson backers are hoping it will help sway a large pool of undecided voters in this contest – which is now less than two months away from its first critical day of decision.

***

RELATED | MAJOR MONEY BATTLE UPDATE

***

Wilson and first district congresswoman Nancy Mace are the current frontrunners in the contest, with lieutenant governor Pamela Evette and fifth district congressman Ralph Norman battling it out for third place. Lowcountry multi-millionaire Rom Reddy is in fifth place after spending a whopping $1.5 million during his first two weeks as a candidate. Trailing Reddy in the polls is Upstate senator Josh Kimbrell.

GOP voters will cast their first ballots on June 9, 2026 – fifty-five days from now. Assuming no candidate secures a majority on the first ballot, the top two vote-getters would face off in a head-to-head runoff election two weeks later.

The Republican primary is decisive in South Carolina, a state which has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in twenty years and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the governor’s office since 1998.

According to a news release from Wilson’s campaign, “the statewide ad buy is roughly half a million dollars and will touch every corner of South Carolina.”

Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we track the latest developments in this contest…

***

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.

***

SOUND OFF…

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.