Wilson wins GOP runoff for attorney general despite attacks by challenger

Alan Wilson, dogged by allegations he tried to stop an independent investigation into two of his political associates, won an easy victory Tuesday in the Republican runoff for S.C. attorney general.

With 92 percent of the vote counted, Wilson was leading his opponent, Todd Atwater, a lawyer and former state representative from Lexington County, by almost 2 to 1.

"I'm humbled by the win," Wilson told The State after thanking his family and campaign staff in a victory speech at a downtown Columbia hotel. "But I'm not taking anything for granted."

Wilson said he and his staff will take a week or so off, then get back to work making phone calls, raising money and "hit the ground running" for the November election.

Wilson, who is seeking a third four-year term, will face Democrat Constance Anastopoulo of Charleston, a Charleston School of Law professor, in November.

In the June 12 Republican primary, Atwater won 29.7 percent of the vote — enough to force Wilson into a runoff. Wilson won 48.6 percent of the June 12 vote, and most observers thought he would win Tuesday's runoff.

Wilson's primary challengers — Atwater and Greenville lawyer William Herlong — portrayed the incumbent as a man whose ethics conflicted with the law enforcement office that he holds. The attorney general, who is paid $92,007 a year, is the state's chief prosecutor and oversees a variety of criminal prosecutions and civil actions. His jurisdiction also includes the state grand jury.

Atwater and Herlong attacked Wilson for his former association with Richard Quinn, a prominent longtime political adviser to Wilson and other high-ranking Republican elected officials. Wilson had tried but failed to remove a special prosecutor from a state grand jury investigation into Quinn and his son, former state Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington.

Wilson's campaign ads countered that portrayal. They featured a squeaky-clean image: an Eagle Scout, a National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and an attorney general who fought child molesters, gangs and human trafficking.

In ads and speeches, Wilson reminded voters he is a family man with two children, a supporter of President Donald Trump, and a foe of sanctuary cities and former President Obama's policies. The National Rifle Association and numerous solicitors and sheriffs also endorsed Wilson.

SC attorney general's race

Republican primary, 2,059 of 2,245 precincts reporting

Alan Wilson: 185,236

Todd Atwater: 99,979

This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Wilson wins GOP runoff for attorney general despite attacks by challenger."