COLUMBIA, S.C. — Attorney General Alan Wilson will be South Carolina’s next governor after the Republican defeated Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in Tuesday’s election, keeping the office in GOP hands as Gov. Henry McMaster leaves under term limits.
With roughly 98% of ballots tallied, Wilson held 51.7% of the vote to 47% for Johnson. The unofficial count stood at 1,046,315 for Wilson and 952,608 for Johnson. Two minor-party candidates trailed far behind: Michael Addison of the United Citizens Party with 16,055 votes and Walid Hakim of the Green Party with 9,024.
Johnson did not wait for a formal call. He conceded at 10:31 p.m. before supporters gathered at Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia and told supporters that Wilson had asked for his help in bringing the state together.
The margin was tighter than many expected for a state where no Democrat has won the governor’s office since Jim Hodges in 1998.
State Sen. Mike Reichenbach of Florence, the running mate Wilson picked in January, becomes lieutenant governor. He will be the first Black person to hold that office since Reconstruction.
Wilson’s campaign said his first priorities center on affordability, including doing away with the state income tax on individuals and cutting property taxes. The campaign also pledged an audit of state agencies along with education and public safety initiatives.
The governor-elect has a long history with the man he replaces. Wilson worked as an assistant attorney general when McMaster led that office, and he won the Republican nomination this year by beating Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette by 37 points in the June runoff.
All results remain unofficial until certified.
Section: More Greenville SC politics news
Filed under: Greenville SC Politics News
