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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina state representative and Democrat gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson is touting a new poll that has him trailing attorney general Alan Wilson, the GOP gubernatorial nominee, by just two percentage points ahead of this fall’s general election.
Wilson leads Johnson 48%–46% per the survey, which was conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Hart Research Associates earlier this month.
“This poll confirms what we’ve felt on the ground for months,” Johnson’s campaign manager Bre Maxwell said. “We have thousands of volunteers knocking doors, making calls, and having conversations in every corner of this state, and this data proves that work is paying off.”
There is a caveat to the poll, though… its results came after respondents were provided “a short, factual, positive description of both candidates.” The survey’s initial ballot results showed Wilson leading Johnson by a 48%–41% margin.
Even that number could prove overly optimistic for Democrats, however, as several independent pollsters tracking the race told us Wilson’s advantage on their surveys was even higher.
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“The Democrats know Alan Wilson’s vision of making South Carolina affordable again and delivering real results for families beats their message of bigger government, radical Leftist ideas, and soft on crime policies any day of the week and twice on Sunday,” Wilson’s deputy campaign manager Claire Brady said. “After celebrating a resounding victory in November, Alan Wilson and Mike Reichenbach will bring in a new age of conservative leadership, shake up the status quo, and put South Carolina families first.”
Wilson’s general consultant Steve Michael also pushed back at the Johnson numbers.
“Appreciate the hustle and the truth is, the environment nationally has its challenges,” Michael noted. “But yeah.. this is a fundraising appeal and nothing more.”
Democrats have not prevailed in a top-of-the-ticket statewide race since 1998, when Jim Hodges defeated David Beasley in the race for governor. That same year, the late U.S. senator Fritz Hollings won his final term in Washington over GOP congressman Bob Inglis – which is the last U.S. Senate race Democrats have won in the Palmetto State. The party’s last statewide victory came in 2006, when former superintendent of education Jim Rex – who later bolted the party – defeated Republican Karen Floyd in the race to become the Palmetto State’s schools chief.
Democrats have also been relegated to super-minority status in both the S.C. House of Representatives and State Senate – although that hasn’t stopped those chambers from veering further to the left than ever before on taxes and spending. In fact, the ongoing embrace of traditionally Democrat policies by establishment “Republican” officials in South Carolina has created a widening rift within the party.
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That divide was on full display during this week’s special GOP runoff election for the U.S. Senate in which Darline Graham Nordone, sister of the late U.S. senator Lindsey Graham, prevailed with 52.45% of the vote – narrowly besting fiscally conservative congressman Ralph Norman.
Will Norman backers rally to Nordone’s banner? That remains to be seen…
Wilson’s campaign worked overtime to unify the GOP during his runoff victory – and his team has continued to build bridges in its aftermath. Nordone’s allies, on the other hand, have been overtly hostile to Norman supporters.
“Cry about it,” one wrote on X in response to Tuesday’s election results.
Wilson and Johnson face each other on November 3, 2026. Nordone faces former congressional candidate Annie Andrews, Libertarian Kasie Whitener, Constitution Party candidate Mark Hackett and several other third party candidates in her general election matchup that same day.
There are no runoffs in the general election, meaning the victorious candidate need only secure a plurality of ballots cast to claim victory.
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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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