McLeod goes after Johnson, Webster in SC Democratic governor debate. 6 takeaways
Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod, who was in third place for the Democratic nomination for South Carolina governor according to a Citadel poll, went on the attack Wednesday in a televised debate with state Rep. Jermaine Johnson and Greenville businessman Billy Webster.
The three faced off in at the SC ETV studios in Columbia. It was the final televised debate before Tuesday’s primary. If no one earns a majority of the vote in the Democratic primary on June 9, the top two will advance to a runoff.
Here are six takeaways:
McLeod goes after Johnson and Webster
When answering questions, McLeod used part of his speaking time to call out his opponents by name.
Because McLeod tried to contrast himself Johnson and Webster by invoking their names in responses multiple times, he allowed them to have extra camera time. The rules allowed for 30-second rebuttals if another candidate attacks them.
“When Mr. Johnson talks about the majority has been the problem, he fails to tell the people that he has voted with that super majority more than 90% of the time, and it’s not by an accident,” McLeod said giving an example of the passage of an electric utilities bill.
Johnson said he worked with the Electric Justice Coalition to amend the bill and improve the legislation which he said he didn’t support.
“When you’re in the super minority in the state house, that’s all you can do is help alleviate some of the pain of the people of South Carolina,” Johnson said.
In a question about growth and having infrastructure to handle it, McLeod took aim at private equity firms for fueling home construction.
“We can slow down that development by simply banning private equity firms like Mr. Webster’s purchasing homes in South Carolina,” McLeod said.
In response to the moderator’s question Webster said the state needs to have statewide plans that integrate infrastructure, conservation and development. He later responded to McLeod.
“Most of the things Mr. McLeod says about me are just water vapor. I don’t know where they come from, I don’t know where they go,” Webster said. ”And if you’re going to be on the stage and run for governor, you better start checking your facts. What you just said is patently false.”
But Johnson and Webster refrained from initiating attacks on McLeod, which didn’t give him any additional time.
When the debate ended Johnson and Webster hugged and later, Johnson and Webster both said they respected one another.
“Jermaine has made me a better candidate. I’ve never run for public office before. I don’t really know what this looks like,” Webster said. “I am who I am, and I try to be as authentic as I can, because I’m not good at being somebody else, and Jermaine has made me better at what I do.”
“I’ll stay away from characterizing Mr. McLeod,” Webster said.
Johnson said he respects people who respect him.
“I believe he just deserves the respect,” Johnson said of Webster. “He’s not a mudslinger, I’m not a mudslinger. We’re fighting for the people of South Carolina, and I think that’s what people need to see, is that people who have common agendas, common goals to fight for the people of South Carolina, they can have mutual respect. Now, I’m not going to address Mr. McLeod, I just told him at the end that I was praying for him.”
Gears turning in Webster’s head
While answering questions, Webster had a tendency to look down toward his lectern and not at the camera.
After the debate, he admitted that his campaign spokeswoman, Jada Samuel, yells at him for that habit while speaking.
“When I’m thinking, I tend to look down. I mean, I’m not looking for any answers because they’re done there, it’s just a legal pad, but I just I’ve always done it that way, my children drive me nuts about it,” Webster said. “I think before I speak. That’s not a stage you want to misspeak on, and you know, I think I may be a little more deliberate in delivery.”
Johnson defends immigration enforcement
McLeod tried to tie Johnson to supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency not popular among the Democratic electorate for tactics used during the Trump administration.
“He literally voted to create ICE in South Carolina,” McLeod said.
In 2023, a bill passed the General Assembly unanimously for SLED to work with ICE, but that was during the Biden administration.
“We cannot allow the Republicans to hijack this message that we don’t support a strong border, and that’s what I did. I worked with the Democrats in the House, and we worked together to make sure that we created strong borders, and we’re protecting the most vulnerable here in South Carolina,” Johnson said.
All skeptical of future data centers
When it came to data centers, candidates were asked if they supported the growth of data centers in the state.
“Who’s not buying the data center snake oil? The people of South Carolina, they ain’t buying it, folks, because these data centers, they do not create jobs,” McLeod said. “All they do is rob our water and drive up the cost of our power.
Webster said he wants a one-year rolling moratorium on data centers “until we understand better if there are benefits or if that technology changes, which makes them desirable for the state. Right now, the answer to that is a solid no.”
Johnson said he introduced a resolution to have a moratorium on the construction of new data centers.
“We have to know about the technology, we have to know about where they’re going and how they’re going to be doing it,” Johnson said. “I’m the one who coined the phrase BYOE. You’re going to come to South Carolina, bring your own energy. You cannot come here and use up our resources. You cannot come up here and drive up our energy costs.”
Moderator had to keep the peace
Moderator Gavin Jackson cut off McLeod 11 times as his time expired while answering questions. Candidates also were told not to crosstalk over each other, but during rebuttals by other candidates, McLeod at times tried to continue speaking.
McLeod, who did not speak to the media after the debate, also at points tried to respond to a rebuttal.
“There’s no rebuttal to a rebuttal, we talked about this before,” Jackson said on air to McLeod.
At another point, Jackson had to tell McLeod, “these are the rules we all agreed to.”
How did the candidates prep for the debate
Johnson’s debate prep included two Columbia attorneys playing his opponents in two mock debates. Chris Kenney, who has done legal work for the state Democratic Party in the past, played McLeod. Rhodes Bailey, who ran for state House in 2020, played Webster.
Webster told the media afterward he did not have anyone act as his opponents during his debate prep.
“It’s just not the way I process information,” Webster said.
Before the debate started, McLeod walked over to Webster and handed him a piece of paper. Webster’s staff quickly took it away, but Webster said it appeared to be a bank statement.
“It had something to do with my godson, who was Zion Williamson, the basketball player, and if you talk about something out of left field, it’s just astounding what he decides makes sense for him,” Webster said. “The purpose was to rattle me in my opening. That’s what trial lawyers do. You can evaluate whether it worked or not.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "McLeod goes after Johnson, Webster in SC Democratic governor debate. 6 takeaways."
