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by JENN WOOD
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The endorsements making headlines in South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial runoff this week didn’t just come from elected officials, political action committees or major donors.
They came from families whose lives have been shattered by violent crime, too.
Just hours before Tuesday night’s debate in Conway, S.C., Stephen Federico announced his support for attorney general Alan Wilson, praising the Palmetto State’s top prosecutor for his response to the May 2025 murder of Federico’s 22-year-old daughter, Logan Federico. At the same debate, members of the family of North Carolina insurance adjuster Scott Spivey appeared as guests of lieutenant governor Pamela Evette – publicly voicing their opposition to Wilson over his handling of the 2023 road rage killing of their relative.
The competing endorsements offered a striking reminder that many of the campaign’s debates over crime, public safety and the judicial system involve real families living with the consequences of these policies. And with less than a week remaining before Republican voters choose their nominee for governor, both campaigns are increasingly turning to these personal stories as they make their closing arguments.
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LOGAN FEDERICO’S FATHER BACKS WILSON
Outside of the debate venue on Tuesday (June 16, 2026), Stephen Federico formally endorsed Wilson’s candidacy, bringing one of the state’s most recognizable victims’ advocates into the final days of the gubernatorial runoff.
Federico’s daughter, Logan, was murdered last spring in a case that sparked statewide outrage and renewed scrutiny of South Carolina’s criminal justice system. Since her death, Federico has become a leading voice for legal reforms aimed at preventing similar tragedies. In May, he and Wilson co-authored an opinion piece calling for legislative changes in Logan’s name.
Federico said his decision to endorse Wilson was rooted in the attorney general’s response to his family’s loss.
“He showed so much empathy and compassion for what had happened to our daughter that I feel that’s what this state needs,” Federico said.
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“I’m going to fight for my life, and I made a promise to the citizens of South Carolina that I would get involved in that fight, and today I am,” Federico added. “I am by endorsing Alan Wilson for governor of South Carolina. I’ll do everything I can to stand by his side to make sure laws get fixed and things get done to make sure our kids and our innocent friends are safe.”
The endorsement quickly drew attention from political observers.
“Stephen Federico’s endorsement of Alan Wilson is important,” this media outlet’s founding editor noted on social media. “No one has advocated more poignantly, passionately and personally for fixing South Carolina’s broken judicial system than him.”
For Wilson, the endorsement offered more than a traditional political backing. It provided validation from a father whose advocacy has become closely associated with efforts to reform South Carolina’s criminal justice system in the wake of his daughter’s murder.
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Stephen Federico’s endorsement of @AGAlanWilson is important. No one has advocated more poignantly, passionately and personally for fixing South Carolina’s broken judicial system than him… a definitional big deal. https://t.co/taeBYeYZpD
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) June 16, 2026
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SPIVEY FAMILY TAKES AIM AT WILSON
As Federico was praising Wilson’s leadership, another family was delivering a sharply different message.
In a lengthy Facebook post published before the debate, Jennifer Spivey Foley — the sister of Scott Spivey — announced she and other members of her family would attend the debate as guests of Evette.
Their purpose, she said, was straightforward.
“We are speaking out today on behalf of Scott, who can’t speak for himself, and our message is simple: attorney general Alan Wilson cannot be South Carolina’s next governor,” the post stated.
Scott Spivey was shot and killed in 2023 following a vehicular incident in Horry County. His family has spent years publicly criticizing Wilson’s office – arguing they were denied justice in his case. In her statement, Foley accused Wilson of failing families like hers and prioritizing politics over accountability.
“This is about an absolute failure of leadership by Alan Wilson and his office,” she wrote. “Real leaders don’t hide and take the easy way out. They don’t make families relive their pain for years as they try to get justice.”
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Wilson has argued the evidence in the Spivey shooting made it unlikely he would be able to prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt, although he recently referred that conclusion to another solicitor for review – and said he would defer to that recommendation.
That referral failed to placate Foley, who challenged Wilson’s repeated campaign portrayal of himself as the race’s “law and order” candidate.
“The truth is, it’s easy to have a high conviction rate when you only pursue cases you think you can win,” she wrote.
The emotional centerpiece of the statement came as Foley described visiting her brother’s gravesite shortly before publishing the post.
“I write this as my mom and I have just left Scott’s gravesite,” she wrote. “His headstone was finally delivered today. The physical reminder that even though Scott was killed nearly three years ago, we still haven’t gotten closure.”
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RELATED | ALAN WILSON, PAM EVETTE RUMBLE ON THE COAST
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A DEBATE NIGHT BACKDROP
The competing family appearances offered an unspoken backdrop to Tuesday night’s fiery debate between Wilson and Evette, which featured repeated accusations of dishonesty, disputes over policy and personal attacks from both campaigns.
While neither family became a central topic during the debate itself, their presence reinforced one of the race’s defining themes: trust.
Wilson’s campaign has consistently highlighted support from law enforcement, prosecutors and crime victims. Evette, meanwhile, has increasingly tried to frame the attorney general as a career politician whose record does not match his rhetoric.
The Federico and Spivey families embody those competing narratives: one sees Wilson as a compassionate public servant committed to reforming a broken system, while the other views him as a political figure who failed to deliver justice when it mattered most.
With early voting underway and just days remaining before Republicans choose between Wilson and Evette, the appearance of two grieving families advocating opposite outcomes provided a reminder that political debates over crime, justice and public safety are rarely abstract.
For the people living those stories, the stakes are deeply personal. And in the final week of South Carolina’s gubernatorial runoff, those voices are becoming harder to ignore.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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