SC’s Alan Wilson picks his lieutenant governor running mate. Here’s who he chose
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor, picked state Sen. Mike Reichenbach, R-Florence, to be his lieutenant governor running mate.
Reichenbach, the only Black Republican in the state Senate, owns two car dealerships in Florence and one in Bluffton. He’s in his first full term as a state senator. He was first elected in a 2022 special election.
Reichenbach’s wealth allowed him to largely self-fund his 2022 campaign for state Senate where he succeeded the late Hugh Leatherman. Since being elected, he has been donating his lawmaker salary to charity. His wife, Charisse, is often attendance in the Senate chamber during session days.
He sits on the Banking and Insurance, Family and Veterans’ Services, Judiciary, Labor, Commerce and Industry, and Transportation committees.
“Mike Reichenbach has a proven record of getting results. Together, we will work hard each day to protect our families and values,” Wilson said in a news release. “With a new age of conservative leadership, we will make South Carolina more affordable for families and profitable for our businesses.”
Wilson’s selection of Reichenbach means four members of the upper chamber are now running for a higher office in the 2026 election. State Sen. Wes Climer is running for the 5th Congressional District seat, state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, is running for attorney general, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, is running for governor.
Reichenbach’s biological mother was 14 when she had him. Reichenbach was then adopted, and he has become an anti-abortion voice in the General Assembly.
Wilson’s lieutenant governor announcement comes the weekend of the annual Pro-Life weekend, which includes a dinner Friday and a Stand Up for Life rally at the State House on Saturday. The weekend is sponsored by S.C. Citizens for Life.
The announcement also comes right before the start of session when legislative work will take up at least three days of the week. However, Reichenbach will have at least four days a week to be on the campaign trail on behalf of the ticket.
Wilson is the first hopeful for governor to announce a running mate and giving him a new messenger to travel the state.
“This election is about the future of South Carolina,” Reichenbach said in a news release. “It’s about taking our state to the next level and remaining a state that honors God, strengthens families and protects your freedoms.”
South Carolina candidates for governor were first able to pick lieutenant running mates in 2018 after the state changed the constitution to have the governor and lieutenant governor run together as a ticket as opposed to running separately.
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 8:41 AM.
