Joe Wilson or Adair Ford Boroughs? It’s a very tough choice. Here’s The State’s pick 

The State Editorial Board has endorsed in several races for the Nov. 3 election — and the 2nd Congressional District battle between U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson and impressive challenger Adair Ford Boroughs is our toughest endorsement call.

Wilson, the Republican incumbent first elected in 2001, is an unabashedly fierce supporter of Republican President Donald Trump and Trump’s policies.

And Wilson will always be known as the lawmaker who yelled, “You lie!” at President Barack Obama during Obama’s 2009 speech to a joint session of Congress.

Yet Wilson admirably and tirelessly worked to champion the successful 2019 repeal of a “widow’s tax” that financially penalized the spouses of deceased veterans.

And Wilson proudly touts his bipartisan work with another South Carolina lawmaker, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, on expanding broadband access and advocating for the Savannah River Site, which employs thousands of people.

Boroughs, meanwhile, is a centrist Democrat and former Department of Justice attorney who has vowed to be an independent-minded lawmaker in Congress.

And Boroughs’ energetic style and deep knowledge of the issues facing the 2nd Congressional District have struck a chord with many Democrats: she is supported by Clyburn and has been consistently breaking fundraising records.

A tough call

While this is clearly a race between two strong candidates, Wilson’s overall effectiveness as a lawmaker should earn him another two-year term.

On Nov. 3, Wilson should be re-elected by voters in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Lexington County, a portion of Richland County and all or some of Barnwell, Aiken and Orangeburg counties.

A focus on jobs

Wilson, 73, has been a longtime fixture in South Carolina politics: prior to becoming a member of Congress, he spent several years in the state Senate.

In an interview with The State Editorial Board, Wilson said that he wants to focus on helping the 2nd Congressional District continue its recovery from the pandemic.

“I want to help us get back to where we were before February,” Wilson said, citing the low unemployment rates in many parts of the 2nd Congressional District prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

“We’ve got to promote job creation as quickly as we can,” Wilson said, “and it shouldn’t be a partisan issue (in Congress) to address that.”

Wilson said Trump will likely be re-elected, and that he looked forward to helping to shape the president’s policies to fully restore the economy.

“We’ve actually had legislation that works,” Wilson said.

“Look at the (Paycheck Protection Program) — it’s put trillions of dollars at work without scandal. So I’m looking forward to continuing to address this issue and coming up with solid policies.”

Wilson deserves that opportunity.

Boroughs: Promise and potential

Boroughs, 40, may be the toughest challenger Wilson has ever faced.

And it’s easy to see why: the Justice Department alum has resembled a skilled and dogged prosecutor while making the case that Wilson has lost touch with the 2nd Congressional District.

“People are ready for someone with the commitment and energy to get some real work done,” Boroughs told The State Editorial Board.

“We need someone who is focused on the district and the needs here.”

Boroughs has repeatedly accused Wilson of doing little to address the 2nd District’s biggest issue: the glaring lack of adequate broadband access in many rural areas.

“We’ve got over 75,000 people in the district without access to the internet,” Boroughs said. “And it’s not even about affordability — it’s that the infrastructure does not exist.”

Boroughs said Wilson has belatedly become an election-year convert on the issue of broadband access. “The problem has gotten a lot more attention because of COVID-19, but it was a problem before that,” Boroughs said.

“It shouldn’t have taken a pandemic for (Wilson) to say, ‘Oh, that’s important.’”

Boroughs, who also supports term limits for members of Congress, is a promising potential lawmaker. And that makes the choice between her and Wilson one that’s a razor-thin call.

But experience matters, and Wilson remains an effective representative for the 2nd Congressional District. Voters should cast their ballots for the incumbent on Nov. 3.

This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 9:02 AM.