Current Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican candidate for South Carolina governor, and his newly declared running mate state Sen. Mike Reichenbach attended the basketball game where the Bob Jones University Bruins played their rival Pensacola Christian College on Jan. 17. Right before the game, the two candidates sat down with the Collegian to answer some questions about the campaign.
After shaking hands and exchanging greetings, Wilson and Reichenbach sat down inside the Bruins press room. Since July of last year, Wilson has been campaigning all over the state, conducting in-person events and giving radio talks as well.
“One of the strengths of our campaign is that we want to hear from all parts of the
state,” Wilson said. “We’ll be in the Upstate; we’ll be in the Lowcountry.” He said his campaign will travel all over the state, including the metropolitan hubs.
“And [we] certainly want to know what’s important to these constituents,” he said, “but the folks in the rural community deserve every bit as much respect and attention and consideration as the larger cities.” The attorney general opened the men’s basketball game in a word of prayer. With a background in Christian education, Wilson mentioned being familiar with both BJU and PCC.
“Bob Jones University is a major fixture up here in the Upstate, and it’s an opportunity to talk to a large group of people at an institution that’s widely respected. So, we are here, obviously to see the game, but also to see the people.”
On Jan. 9 he selected Reichenbach, a businessman from Florence, as his running mate for lieutenant governor. While working closely with him on the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, they bonded over policy, faith and backgrounds.
“He’s a big proponent of families,” Wilson said. “That was when I asked him if he were to become my running mate, what would he want in his portfolio? And he said, ‘families.’”
Through Wilson’s career, he has pursued a crackdown on online child predators, a greater concern with the rise of AI. Both men share a background in leadership and law enforcement, but each of them mentioned their adoption stories as key motivators of their campaign.
Reichenbach said his biological mother chose to give birth rather than choose an abortion, “And I have every reason not to be here when a 14-year-old was scared.”
“She gave me the gift of life,” he said.
He was then raised by a German family who taught him that he would be identified in life based upon the decisions he made, the God that he served, his work ethic and discipline, he said.
“And that really has now moved me throughout my entire life that I believe there’s a calling: to whom much is given, much is required.”
Lastly, Wilson commented on a current debate within the state – his stance on open or closed primaries.
“Well, the first thing I always say is, I want to read the bill first, but I’m always going to side on what makes an election more secure for the people of South Carolina,” Wilson said.
The open primary system has been legal in the state for about 60 years, and it is how the Republican Party came into
prominence in South Carolina, he said. The closed primary system allows registered voters to vote along their party lines.
“It prevents people from raiding primaries and voting for folks who probably wouldn’t represent the values of that electorate,” he said.
After explaining both systems, he concluded, “At the end of the day, it’s really about the security of a primary election, and that’s what I’m always going to support.”
Throughout the interview, both Wilson and Reichenbach spoke about their convictions to serve South Carolina families and businesses. Only halfway to the primaries, Wilson will continue to promote his campaign all over the state.
