SC Democrat for governor makes first post-primary pitch to voters

COLUMBIA — A day after Republicans selected their choice for governor, the Democrat in the race asked South Carolinians to shift their focus to November.

State Rep. Jermaine Johnson of Hopkins made his first public post-primary pitch to Palmetto State voters Wednesday, as he prepares to take on Attorney General Alan Wilson in the general election.

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“I congratulate the attorney general, because I look forward to a spirited debate,” said Johnson, who won a three-way primary outright June 9 to be the Democrats’ nominee.

The Republican ticket includes state Sen. Mike Richenbach of Florence, a pick Wilson announced in January.

Johnson has yet to select a running mate but told reporters he plans to choose from a short list sometime in the next three weeks.

At the Statehouse, Johnson was joined by Rep. Hamilton Grant, who pitched his fellow Richland County Democrat as the candidate to bring about change after decades of Republican control at the Statehouse and in statewide offices.

“After last night, the choice before us is simple,” said Grant, of Columbia. “We can either continue with the same leadership that has produced the same results for decades, or we can choose a new direction, a new South Carolina.”

But Johnson has ground to make up in a state where the last Democrat to hold any statewide office was education Superintendent Jim Rex, who won in 2006. The last Democratic governor was former Gov. Jim Hodges, elected in 1998. Hodges was ousted four years later. Rex ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010.

The June primaries saw record-breaking turnout in early voting, in part to protest a White House-pushed effort to redraw the state’s congressional voting lines, which failed on opening day. Nearly 59% of ballots cast over the entire two-week early voting period were for the Democratic ticket, according to the state Election Commission’s breakdown by party.

However, among all 845,000 South Carolinians who voted in the governor’s race over the primary cycle ending June 9, 56% of those votes went to Republican candidates, according to election data.

Johnson said he’s not daunted.

“(South Carolinians) want somebody who’s not going to play partisan politics with their lives, and they want somebody who’s going to attack the issues that are affecting everybody,” he said.

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Johnson, first elected to the state House in 2020, reiterated campaign promises on issues he would advocate for as governor: a livable minimum wage, affordable healthcare, improved roads and bridges, reduced crime, and improved public education.

His exact proposals, as well as how he and Wilson differ on the specifics, will be something for both candidates to lay out over the coming months. Fixing South Carolina’s roads, for example, is a common theme for candidates across the political spectrum.

Johnson also pointed to President Donald Trump’s dual endorsement of Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pam Evette in the Republican primary and what he sees as the oversized role of Washington.

Trump “did that specifically for himself,” Johnson said. “He did not want to look bad. He wanted to make sure that he was still a winner.

“We don’t want D.C. operating in S.C.,” he added. “And that needs to be the message that we send clearly to the people who are wanting to be our next leaders of South Carolina.”