S.C. Governor’s Race: Revenge Of The Wilsons

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South Carolina first district congresswoman Nancy Mace has spent much of the past seven months unloading on her top rival for the Palmetto State governor’s mansion – four-term attorney general Alan Wilson.

Mace began her blistering offensive in January – and escalated it significantly on February 10, 2025, delivering a self-described “scorched earth” speech from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in which she labeled Wilson a “do-nothing attorney general.” Since then, she’s focused on specific cases allegedly showcasing his ineffectiveness in protecting victims – particularly victims of child sex abuse.

“Alan Wilson protects pedophiles, not children,” Mace has repeatedly claimed.

Wilson has pushed back sporadically, firing off his first real response to the allegations two-and-a-half months ago.

“I will not stand by and allow someone to lie about, not only me, but the dedicated men and women in my office who’ve been in the trenches protecting kids for years,” Wilson wrote in a lengthy post on X.

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RELATED | NANCY MACE LAUNCHES 2026 CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR

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This week, after Mace announced her candidacy for governor, Wilson upped the ante by claiming she was part of the problem – citing her 2019 vote in support of S.C. circuit court judge Bentley Price, the poster judge for excessive judicial leniency in the Palmetto State, as evidence.

“Nancy Mace can’t be trusted and is trying to distract from her liberal voting record and support for soft-on-crime judges,” Wilson’s deputy campaign manager Claire Brady said.

Wilson’s pushback against Mace continued after her announcement, only this time it came from his father – U.S. congressman Joe Wilson.

In a statement released following a radio appearance on Tuesday morning (August 5, 2025), the elder Wilson excoriated Mace – saying she refused to be a “team player” and was only interested in “the path of self-promotion.”

“I am grateful to see congresswoman Nancy Mace leaving congress,” Wilson said in the statement (.jpg). “From the moment she entered congress, she made it clear she had no interest in being a team player.”

According to Wilson, Mace is “a party of one,” accusing her of refusing to support the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

“She has given nothing, zero to the NRCC to help elect fellow conservatives, and she’s repeatedly chose the path of self-promotion over service. That’s not leadership. That’s not teamwork. And that’s not what South Carolina needs.”

Wilson went on to say Mace had been “wildly inconsistent, flip-flopping on president Trump, attacking law enforcement officials across the state and mischaracterizing how our criminal justice system works.”

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“She’s accused police, sheriffs and solicitors of being soft on crime while ignoring the fact that sentencing is set by the state legislature and carried out by judges, not those who put their lives on the line to enforce the law,” Wilson continued. “Nancy Mace does not stand for those who fight for law and order. She talks tough, but time and again, it’s been nothing more than a defense mechanism to shield her own record.”

News of the broadside – first reported by Caitlin Byrd of The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier – opened a new front in the battle between Mace and Alan Wilson, who are leading the field in the early polling to become the next governor of South Carolina.

Mace’s campaign wasted little time in firing back at her congressional delegation-mate…

“No one is surprised career politician Joe Wilson is attacking Nancy Mace to protect his son’s failing campaign,” Mace’s communications director Sydney Long said in a statement. “If Joe Wilson wasn’t so focused on getting President Zelenskyy a statue at the Capitol and held his son accountable, maybe Alan Wilson wouldn’t be spending his time in office attacking sexual assault survivors and turning a blind eye to pedophiles.”

“Nancy Mace is running for governor to put South Carolina first,” Long continued. “If the Wilson family thinks political favors and last names will stop her, they’re in for a rude awakening. South Carolina deserves a fighter, not a dynasty.”

The 2026 GOP field also includes S.C. lieutenant governor Pamela Evette, U.S. fifth district congressman Ralph Norman and Upstate S.C. senator Josh Kimbrell. With broad swaths of the GOP electorate currently undecided, most observers believe the race is wide open.

GOP voters head to the polls on June 9, 2026. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in that election, the top two finishers would face off in a runoff election two weeks later. Given the deepening reddish tint of South Carolina, whomever wins the GOP nomination is considered a virtual lock to become the next chief executive of the state.

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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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