Facing fight of his career, has SC’s Wilson done enough in 19 years to win reelection?
On the campaign trail, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson’s Democratic opponent Adair Ford Boroughs has repeated the same point: the Springdale Republican has only passed one bill since taking office in 2001.
Her claim is true.
According to the Library of Congress, of the 257 bills that Wilson has been a primary sponsor on, only one — a bill to rename a post office after his predecessor Floyd Spence — has successfully passed both chambers of Congress and has been signed into law by the president.
When compared with 29 representatives sworn in between 1999 and 2003, Wilson falls in the lower half when it comes to number of sponsored bills passed. Of that group, only one lawmaker — Republican Steve King of Iowa — passed fewer bills than Wilson.
But Wilson and his allies say being the primary sponsor of a bill that passes is far from the only way to get things done in Congress. And judging the 10-term congressman by those other factors show he’s been productive, they say.
For example, in late 2019, the Widow’s Tax, a reduction in a soldier’s widow’s survivor benefits, was repealed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Repealing the tax was a pet project of Wilson’s, one he had tried to pass as a stand alone bill for years.
“Over and over, I find that I have been very very fortunate to have different pieces of legislation included as stand alone within the National Defense Authorization Act or as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act,” Wilson said in an interview with The State.
For constituents in the 2nd Congressional District, what’s more important than passing legislation is that their representative focuses on getting things done for them, Republican political strategist and president of Starboard Communications Walter Whetsell said.
“He’s kind of the House version of Strom Thurmond,” Whetsell said. “He’s written a letter to every child who’s graduated in this district. … He takes constituent services extremely seriously. His staff is dedicated to that kind of constituent relations.”
Constituent services
Wilson is known widely in the district for his accessibility. The congressman is famous for showing up at barbecues, baseball games and parades, handing out business cards and congressional key chains throughout the district, which includes parts of Aiken, Barnwell, Lexington, Orangeburg and Richland counties. His reputation has even garnered the joke that if more than two people gather in the district, he’ll appear.
His reputation, he says, extends overseas. During a trip to Pakistan, Wilson said he met a Marine who told him he was overseas because of the lawmaker.
“I thought, ‘What did I do wrong?’ Well, it wasn’t wrong,” Wilson said. “When he started speaking, I remembered that our staff had expedited his citizenship.”
Wilson explained that one of his staff members hand-delivered the necessary citizenship paperwork so the man could be sworn into the Marine Corps.
“I know how important this is to cut through red tape,” Wilson said. “We have so many people who have different problems, but I have dedicated staff members at our offices. It’s really heartwarming to see the staff people that I have that really don’t need any direction. They know how to fight on behalf of constituents.”
Some government officials in Wilson’s district have said that the congressman is always just a call away.
“He’s worked with us on everything we’ve ever called him about,” S.C. Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, said.
After the 2015 floods that rocked the Midlands, Wilson worked with local officials to help reopen flooded or damaged roads across Lexington County, Shealy said. The congressman has always been hands-on when it comes to veterans issues and protecting South Carolina’s military bases when closures are considered, she added.
“Everybody knows who Joe is,” Shealy said. “Hes not one of those people that you only see during election time. And he knows everybody’s name.”
Wilson has also been instrumental in bringing in support for the Savannah River Site, a nuclear facility located in Aiken County that is a boon to the local economy, Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker said.
He was part of the efforts to bring the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative, a partnership between Savannah River National Laboratory and the University of South Carolina-Aiken, to the area.
“Rep. Joe Wilson has a long history of representing the interests of Aiken County in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Bunker said.
S.C. Rep. Chip Huggins, a Lexington Republican who worked closely with Wilson during his time at the State House, said the Springdale Republican’s knack for constituent services was one of the first things that struck him.
“The guy is absolutely amazing,” Huggins said. “We were all trying to emulate the congressman.”
Huggins recalled a time a constituent called him after his wife had a stroke while traveling in China. The constituent struggled to get a call back to the United States, and when he did, he was able to reach Huggins.
“He cannot get his wife back to the states with the stroke she’s had,” Huggins said. “So, who do I call? Joe Wilson. And just within a little bit of time, they had made arrangements to get them back to the states.”
“They will never forget that,” Huggins added. “That’s the kind of person Joe Wilson is.”
Criticism from local officials
Other leaders, however, have criticized Wilson’s work — or lack thereof — in the district.
During a press conference alongside Boroughs, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, a Democrat, criticized Wilson for not fighting to help secure FEMA funds so the city could replace the Columbia Canal, which broke during the 2015 floods. In April 2019, a disaster relief bill was introduced in the House that included money to repair the canal, but Wilson voted against the bill.
“I’m a huge believer that the real test of a leader is how you respond in times of crisis,” Benjamin said. “It was indeed the greatest challenge we’ve faced as a city in our state’s history.”
“Joe Wilson failed that test,” the Columbia Democrat added.
S.C. Rep. Justin Bamberg said during his adult life and his six years at the State House, he hasn’t often seen Wilson’s hand in Barnwell County happenings.
“Congressman Joe Wilson, at least with regards to Barnwell County … he kind of hasn’t really been around,” said the life-long 33-year-old Bamberg Democrat, who represents part of Barnwell County.
Bamberg pointed to the 2016 hospital closure in Barnwell County, which caused massive job loss and created an “emergency health care desert” in the area. Bamberg worked with other local and state legislators, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott to close the health care gap in the area. Wilson was not involved in talks to bring an emergency medical center to serve Bamberg and Barnwell counties, Bamberg said.
“If you see a county losing its hospital, you should be front and center as a congressman to fix it,” Bamberg said.
“Its a nonpartisan issue. Its a matter of life or death,” he added.
Wilson campaign spokesman Mark Knoop called Bamberg’s allegation “a baseless comment.” Knoop said Wilson made calls to the Office of Rural Health and SouthernCarolina Alliance, a regional development firm, to help find a solution and was at the 2017 ribbon cutting for the new facility that serves Bamberg and Barnwell counties.
Wilson also blamed Obamacare, which he opposed, for the hospital’s closure. But Bamberg called Wilson’s pointing the finger at the Affordable Care Act “absolute nonsense.” Democrats have blamed rural hospital closures on some states’ refusal to expand Medicaid under the Obama-era health care law. South Carolina was one of those states to refuse expanding the federal-state health care program for the poor and disabled.
Bamberg said he doesn’t know the names of a single member of Wilson’s staff.
“I don’t care that he’s a Republican,” Bamberg said. “At the end of the day where we live, the only thing that matters is that your elected officials are helping us.”
When asked about projects Wilson has helped on, several local leaders in the 2nd District declined to comment for this story.
A tough election
Wilson is facing his toughest competition in years. While he represents a red district — which went for President Donald Trump by about 18 percentage points in 2016 and has been represented by the GOP since 1965 — Wilson has consistently come in second in the fundraising race this cycle.
In fact, Boroughs reported higher fundraising number each filing period since she began reporting in July 2019, according to the Federal Election Commission. According to the latest filings, Wilson brought in about $1.5 million during this election cycle, while Boroughs topped $2.3 million. Boroughs also outspent Wilson by about $600,000.
Most of the cash brought in by Boroughs came from donations smaller than $200, while Wilson’s largest contribution pot came from donations of $2,000 or more, according to the Federal Election Commission. According to the non-profit Center for Responsive Politics’ site OpenSecrets.org, the largest bucket of money given to Wilson’s campaign came from leadership PAC’s, while attorney Boroughs’ haul came from law firms and lawyers.
There has been no public, reliable polling done in the district, so it’s hard to know just what impact his opponent Boroughs has had on Wilson’s reelection chances.
Whetsell, who’s assisted on several state and congressional campaigns across South Carolina, said the allegiance to the Republican Party has not wavered much in the district.
“It’s just extraordinarily difficult for a Democrat to show or to place in a district that leans so heavily Republican,” Whetsell said.
And voters in the second district tend to vote straight party tickets, Whetsell added, giving Wilson a boost thanks to Trump topping the ticket.
According to the S.C. Election Commission, more than a million voters across South Carolina — about half of the ballots cast — voted straight ticket in 2016. In counties that contain parts of the 2nd district, 214,350 of 417,888 voters, or about 51%, voted straight ticket; that number includes voters who live in Aiken, Barnwell, Lexington, Orangeburg and Richland counties, but do not live in the district.
“Voters in this district, they are hyper reflective of this pretty partisan divide,” Whetsell said.
Wilson himself is a staunch Republican.
During the 115th Congress — from 2017 to 2018 — Wilson voted against his party only about 1.7% of the time, according to an analysis by ProPublica. During the current session, he voted against his party 4.9% of the time, mostly on bill amendments and procedural votes on suspending House rules.
Wilson is anti-abortion, but said he is for allowing exceptions in cases of rape, incest or if the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. During a debate against Boroughs, Wilson also claimed that Democrats are for late term abortions, a talking point often parroted by Republicans. Boroughs called the allegation a lie, noting that abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy are rare and are done when the fetus has a condition incompatible with life or birth threatens the life of the mother.
Wilson’s record also shows he’s been on the side of Confederate flag supporters and gun rights advocates.
Wilson was one of a handful of state legislators to vote against removing the Confederate flag from the State House dome in 2000. Later, though, he backed Gov. Nikki Haley’s efforts to remove the flag from the State House grounds in 2015, Wilson campaign spokesman Mark Knoop said.
Wilson has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, and was given an “A” rating as a legislator.
He often touts his military connections, calling service “a family tradition”; Wilson served as a JAG officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, his four sons served in the military and his father was a World War 2 veteran.
He’s appeared alongside President Donald Trump at campaign events in the Palmetto State and during a press conference where Trump touted the repeal of the widow’s tax. During Trump’s impeachment hearings in the House, Wilson stood by the president, calling the effort a “hoax” and the proceedings “insulting.”
When asked what he wants to be remembered by when he leaves Congress, Wilson said he hopes it’s that he was “truly dedicated to being accessible and accountable and that I stood for the principles of limited government and expanded freedom.”
Despite his conservative politics, Wilson often stresses the importance of bipartisan efforts.
For example, during his debate against Boroughs, Wilson talked about efforts to expand broadband access across the state, something that he has signed a letter in support of with U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia. Wilson has also co-sponsored legislation proposed by Clyburn that would expand the service.
During his time at the State House, Wilson worked with Democratic Lt. Gov. Nick Theodore on state government reorganization, calling it “a great example of bipartisanship.” When talking about the initiative with The State, though, Wilson took a dig at Democrats in the state Legislature during the initiative, saying they opposed government restructuring because “they didn’t want Gov. Campbell to get personal credit.”
At the State House, Wilson was also assigned to the Senate’s General Committee, which helped handle Gov. David Beasley’s welfare reform efforts through the Family Independence Act of 1995, which placed time limits on benefits and required job training. Wilson was not a sponsor on the bill, but he did work on the conference committee that helped settle the differences between the Senate and the House’s version.
Congressional tenure
Wilson was elected to the House of Representatives in 2001 during a special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Floyd Spence, who died while in office. Wilson had served on Spence’s staff during his younger years, as well as on the staff of Strom Thurmond.
During his 19 years in Washington, D.C., one moment that brought Wilson national attention was when he yelled “You lie” at President Barack Obama during a 2009 joint session of Congress. Even Wilson’s wife Roxanne Wilson said she initially couldn’t believe he was the one who yelled it.
Wilson said he quickly apologized to the president’s staff for the outburst, but he was censured by the House for the move.
The “You lie” incident wasn’t Wilson’s only memorable gaffe.
In 2018, Wilson was duped by actor Sascha Baron Cohen on his show “Who is America?” During the clip, Wilson backs an imaginary program called the Kinderguardians, which would arm kindergartners against threats in schools.
“A three year old cannot defend itself from an assault rifle by throwing a Hello Kitty Pencil Case at it,” Wilson said in the video. “Our founding fathers did not put an age limit on the Second Amendment.”
Wilson said that Cohen posed as a citizen of Israel who was awarding the congressman for his staunch support for the middle eastern country. Wilson called it “an easy prank for him to play on me because I’m really passionate.”
“I hope people look at my whole record. Obviously, that was a prank that I regret occurred very much,” Wilson said. “But, gosh, I have to give the guy credit. He fooled me entirely and my whole staff.”
The moment is one Boroughs points out in a campaign ad as a reason it’s time for Wilson to leave Congress.
Military focus
However, beyond the gaffes, Wilson has been known for his work abroad, especially when it comes to military issues. The congressman serves on both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The Springdale Republican has traveled abroad on congressional business more than 50 times, including several trips to Iraq and Afghanistan and even one to North Korea, according to the House Clerk’s website.
Wilson made a promise to visit South Carolina soldiers who are deployed, said longtime friend and former National Guard Adjutant General Bob Livingston, who met Wilson while serving in the guard. Wilson followed through on that promise many times, he added.
“He was just so involved with the people actually doing the mission,” Livingston said.
Livingston said Wilson often made these trips to gather facts about the area for himself.
“He’s not some partisan guy that has some strong opinion. Once he has an opinion, it’s a strong opinion, it’s just not ideologically based, but it’s practically based,” Livingston said. “He goes out and he gathers the facts in a bipartisan manner, and he’s there kind of for the people of South Carolina, but he also looks at it from the national standpoint and even the world standpoint.”
Wilson has also spent a lot of time on military issues at home. Both Huggins and Shealy said Wilson always goes to bat for South Carolina’s bases when military officials are considering closures.
“Joe was an absolute stalwart in making sure we didn’t let our guard down, protecting Fort Jackson, Shaw or any of these bases we have here in South Carolina,” Huggins said.
Wilson was also an early supporter of the National Commission on the Structure of the Army, introducing a bill in 2014 that called for a comprehensive study of the Army to determine the best mixture of active and reserve forces going forward.
“There was a lot of controversy going on in the Army about what is the role of the National Guard, what is the role of the reserves, what should the Army look like,” Livingston said. “Joe along with a couple other people offered legislation to have a independent group study the Army, and that became a really big issue.”
A report was later commissioned and completed in 2016.
“He was able to resolve a conflict that could have caused a real rift within the Army by proposing this commission,” Livingston said. “It has served well for future generations.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 10:23 AM.
