Alan Wilson wins South Carolina governor’s race

Republican South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson won the state’s gubernatorial race on Tuesday, defeating Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson.Wilson, who has served as the state’s top law enforcement official since 2011, will succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.The Associated Press called the race for Wilson at 12:35 a.m. The attorney general garnered 51.6% against Johnson’s 47.1%. Wilson has long been a fixture in South Carolina politics given his long tenure as state attorney general. He’s also the son of longtime Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), who campaigned with his son in the lead-up to Election Day.Polls showed Wilson as the clear front-runner in the race. Johnson, a state representative and former professional basketball player, struggled with name ID and fundraising.Wilson centered his campaign messaging on securing law and order in South Carolina and making “South Carolina Affordable Again.” He won the GOP primary by defeating two sitting GOP members of Congress and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS AND ANALYSISEvette was endorsed by President Donald Trump in the primary, but Wilson came in a close second. Since neither candidate garnered a majority, a runoff between Wilson and Evette was held on June 23. Wilson won the runoff by 37 percentage points. Trump won South Carolina in 2024 by 18 points over then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.