SC House Democrat says he’s exploring run for governor

COLUMBIA — After five sessions in the state House, Rep. Jermaine Johnson might make a bid for the Governor’s Mansion.

The Columbia Democrat announced Saturday he’s forming a committee to assess support and engage with voters statewide, which is considered a step toward launching an official run.

“From expanding economic opportunity and improving education to advocating for criminal justice reform and protecting working families, I’ve stood side-by-side with South Carolinians through every challenge,” Johnson said in a news release. “Now, I’m exploring what it would mean to take that work to the Governor’s Office to serve all of the people of South Carolina.”

The father of four — who turns 40 on July 4 — did not offer a timeline for his decision. Filing for the June 2026 primaries isn’t until mid-March.

Johnson is the first Democrat to announce interest in seeking the job as the state’s CEO.

He recognizes it would be an uphill battle for any Democrat in South Carolina.

No Democrat has won the office since Jim Hodges in 1998. The last Democrat to win any statewide office was Jim Rex in 2006, when he became state superintendent of education by fewer than 500 votes.

“South Carolina is at a crossroads,” Johnson said. “We need leadership that listens, leads with integrity, and puts people before politics.”

No Republican has officially announced a bid for governor, but six have said they’re considering it: Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson, U.S. House Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and state Sens. Josh Kimbrell and Sean Bennett.

The race is wide open since Gov. Henry McMaster can’t seek another term. He’s already the longest-serving elected governor in state history, since he ascended to the job in January 2017 — when Nikki Haley became President Donald Trump’s first United Nations ambassador — giving him two years in office before his first inauguration.

McMaster trounced the last Democrat to seek the job, former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, by more than 17 percentage points in 2022.

Regardless of whether Johnson decides to make a gubernatorial run, he said he “wholeheartedly plans” to still run for re-election to the state House seat representing parts of Richland and Kershaw counties.

South Carolina law allows candidates to seek more than one office at the same time. They just can’t hold multiple offices simultaneously. If they win more than one in an election, they have to make a choice.

Johnson first won a seat in the Statehouse in 2020, when he ousted 22-year veteran Rep. Jimmy Bales in the Democratic primary. Two years later, the elections gave Republicans a supermajority in the chamber. The 2024 elections gave the GOP a supermajority in the Senate too.

That doesn’t stop Johnson from making sure his colleagues know where he stands, often basing his arguments on personal experiences. And even if Republicans have no intention of supporting his proposal, they listen.

“For years, I’ve worked to uplift our communities — not just with words, but with action,” Johnson said in the release.

During the chamber’s May 7 debate on the roughly $14.5 billion state budget, he put up 37 amendments to protest a decision by the chambers’ chief budget writers not to fund any local projects, known as earmarks, this year. All of his proposals failed, but he ensured his colleagues knew more about some of the projects they were dismissing.

Three weeks later, as the House voted on the final budget deal, Rep. Joe White brought up Johnson’s fight while scolding his GOP colleagues for the spending plan he voted against. The Newberry County Republican noted he voted for Johnson’s first amendment.

“He put up some good amendments, and what did we do?” said White, a member of the uber-conservative Freedom Caucus. “We ran roughshod over every one of them.”

His comments also show that Johnson’s well-liked across the political spectrum.

“I love Jermaine,” White said from behind the lectern. When another Democrat yelled out from the chamber floor, White said to laughter, “I love you too … I love Jermaine more.” It was a moment of levity and camaraderie amid the debate.

Johnson, born in Los Angeles, has a compelling life story, which became the subject of a documentary titled “I Got Myself a Yard,” released last fall.

Homeless in his teens, Johnson earned a basketball scholarship to the College of Charleston.

His 1,276 points still rank 21st in program history and led to a spot in a developmental league for NBA prospects before stints playing professionally in Canada, Portugal, Mexico and Brazil.

After his basketball career, he returned to South Carolina, starting New Economic Beginnings Foundation, a nonprofit aimed to aid troubled children and military veterans.

In 2018, he founded Dream Team Consulting firm, and he’s an adjunct professor at Midlands Technical College.

Ahead of his own run for the Statehouse, Johnson was the state campaign chair for Andrew Yang’s 2020 bid for president, which ended ahead of the South Carolina presidential primary.

“I believe in a South Carolina where every child, every family, and every community has the opportunity to thrive — and I’m ready to explore how we make that vision a reality,” he said.