Evette, Wilson throw punches, accuse each other of lying in last SC GOP gov debate
On the eve of early voting in the South Carolina Republican Party’s runoff election, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson spent the debate accusing the other of lying to voters in order to win the nomination for governor.
In contentious final bids to appeal to the public before voters choose a nominee, the candidates traded blows over each other’s records, attack advertisements and more. It wasn’t long before the crowd was fired up, as both garnered cheers and boos, which at times drowned the speakers out in the crowded auditorium at Coastal Carolina University.
Neither reached more than 50% in the June 9 primary, instead advancing to the June 23 runoff. Evette had a slight edge over Wilson in the primary with 28.86% of votes to his 26.15%
Before the debate began, both candidates made statements on violent crime by inviting surviving family members of lethal gun violence victims.
Evette brought the family of Scott Spivey, who died in a shootout on an Horry County road, while Wilson brought the family of Logan Federico, who was fatally shot in Columbia while visiting friends. Logan’s father, Stephen Federico, endorsed Wilson before the debate, and Scott’s sister, Jennifer Foley Spivey, endorsed Evette after the debate.
Things kicked off cordially with opening statements and talk of endorsements – President Donald Trump is backing Evette, but the Washington Post reported Trump might double-endorse in the race.
It didn’t take long for the pair to start sparring. Wilson was first to take a swipe at Evette in his opening statement.
“While my opponent was cutting ribbons in a ceremonial job and wasting time in the lieutenant governor’s office, I was out there fighting for you, fighting as a combat veteran, as a prosecutor, and as your attorney general. In fact, I’m the only person in this race who actually had the courage to risk their career fighting for President Trump in a court of law,” Wilson said.
Evette hit back over Wilson’s 2023 pay increase from $92,000 to $208,000 a year. It was a raise set by the state Agency Head Salary Commission, which couldn’t increase the governor and lieutenant governor’s pay because the law giving the commission the power to set constitutional officer pay initially excluded those offices at Gov. Henry McMaster’s request.
“The attorney general took a 126% pay increase,” Evette said. “It was same pay increase the governor and I turned down. On the other hand, that’s facts. Mudslinging comes when the attorney general and his PACs and people put me on a television screen with drag queens. I have never met a drag queen, I’ve never met AOC, and for the record, I’ve never taken a lie detector test.”
Wilson then accused Evette of repeatedly lying.
On the topic of judicial reform, Evette she wanted a system where the governor appoints judges and the General Assembly confirms them like the federal system.
“I think that’s an amazing system, unless Alan Wilson was the governor,” Evette said.
She used the question to hit Wilson on his support for 2018 Democratic nominee for governor James Smith when he was running to be a circuit court judge in 2024.
“James Smith was endorsed by Planned Parenthood. James Smith was out there saying that he would be the LGBTQ governor. Now that would scare me,” Evette said.
Wilson defended the phone calls he made on behalf of Smith during the 2024 judicial election.
“What she is talking about is I called James Smith to ask him if he would uphold the rulings that overturn Roe v. Wade, and then passed that on to legislators. I wasn’t advocating for anybody,” Wilson said. “That is a lie. She is lying to you because she wants to manipulate you, because she wants your vote.”
When discussing efforts to take away money from South Carolina State University, which rescinded Evette’s invitation to speak at the school’s commencement ceremony after students protested, Evette accused Wilson of lying. His campaign has said she made money off of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with her business QBS Solutions.
“I really think what the attorney general was upset with is probably the hundreds of thousands of dollars he spent trying to lie to the voters that I was somehow a DEI queen was squelched in 30 seconds with those students at SC State,” Evette said.
At the time she called the group a “woke mob.”
Wilson said he would be against giving schools money if they actively suppressed conservative speech, then criticized Evette for not rising above the college kids protesting her planned address.
“I would never support taking tax dollars because a bunch of kids who didn’t like me or didn’t like my politics protested on the campus, if we’re going to be conservative, if we’re going to be conservative to protect conservative speech, then we should be conservative in protecting all speech, even speech that which we don’t agree with,” Wilson said.
Wilson also hit the lieutenant governor over mailers that said Evette signed bills to ban sanctuary cities and a bill aimed at keeping transgender men out of women’s sports. Both were signed by McMaster.
“The governor, and I together are a team. I understand you don’t get that, but we are. So, when that was signed into law, it was signed by McMaster-Evette administration,” the lieutenant governor shot back.
Both candidates voiced support for eliminating the state income tax, and after the debate, Evette said it would be the first thing she did as governor.
The pair were also in sync about exploring a pathway to medical marijuana in the Palmetto State while strictly opposing recreational usage.
Toa question about opening the healthcare market to more providers, both candidates were in favor of the idea, but Evette added she would oppose requiring parents to vaccinate kids.
After nearly an hour of rhetorical attacks and, at times, deafening boos and cheers from the crowd, moderators asked each candidate to share something they respect or admire about their opponent. Evette thanked Wilson for his military service.
Wilson complimented Evette as a “strong family person.” In what may have been a response to hecklers deriding Evette for coming to South Carolina from Ohio, Wilson said, “I do believe Pam loves the state of South Carolina. She chose to move here from Ohio because she saw opportunity here, and I commend her for that.”
After the debate, Evette said she was sincere in applauding Wilson’s service and was “shocked” by his comment. Both also took the opportunity to tout their credentials and criticize the handling of the violent crimes like the Federico and Spivey cases.
Registered South Carolina voters who voted Republican in the South Carolina primary or didn’t cast a ballot at all can make their choice between Evette and Wilson in the runoff election Tuesday, June 23. Voters can also visit the polls for early voting Wednesday, June 17, and Thursday, June 18.
The State’s Joseph Bustos reported from Columbia.
