Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Attorney General of South Carolina
| South Carolina Attorney General | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $208,000 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $116,081,250 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | South Carolina Constitution, Article V, Section 24 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Attorney General of South Carolina
Alan Wilson | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Last election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Other South Carolina Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Comptroller • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The Attorney General of South Carolina is an elected executive position in the South Carolina state government. The attorney general is the state's chief criminal prosecutor, chief legal officer, and securities commissioner. He or she represents and advises the state and its agencies in legal matters, oversees the activities of the state grand jury, and the registration of all people engaged in the sale of securities in South Carolina. The attorney general's office also investigates allegations of fraud or other violations of securities laws.[1]
South Carolina has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current Attorney General of South Carolina is Alan Wilson (R). Wilson assumed office in 2011.
Authority
Article V, Section 24 of the state constitution established the attorney general as the South Carolina chief legal officer.
Article V, Section 24:
| ... The Attorney General shall be the chief prosecuting officer of the State with authority to supervise the prosecution of all criminal cases in courts of record.[2] |
Qualifications
Article VI, Section 1 of the South Carolina Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:[2]
- possess the qualifications of an elector
- not disqualified by age as prescribed in the South Carolina Constitution
- not convicted of a felony under state or federal law
- not convicted of tampering with a voting machine, fraudulent registration or voting, bribery at elections, procuring or offering to procure votes by bribery, voting more than once at elections, impersonating a voter, or swearing falsely at elections/taking oath in another's name, or has not pleaded guilty or no contest to these offenses
| No person may be popularly elected to and serve in any office in this State or its political subdivisions unless he possesses the qualifications of an elector, is not disqualified by age as prescribed in this Constitution, and has not been convicted of a felony under state or federal law or convicted of tampering with a voting machine, fraudulent registration or voting, bribery at elections, procuring or offering to procure votes by bribery, voting more than once at elections, impersonating a voter, or swearing falsely at elections/taking oath in another's name, or has not pled guilty or nolo contendere [no contest] to these offenses. However, notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, this prohibition does not apply to a person who has been pardoned under state or federal law or to a person who files for public office fifteen years or more after the completion date of service of the sentence, including probation and parole time, nor shall any person, serving in office prior to the ratification of this provision, be required to vacate the office to which he is elected. No person may be elected or appointed to office in this State for life or during good behavior, but the terms of all officers must be for some specified period except officers in the militia.[2] |
Elections
Article VI, Section 7 of the state constitution stipulates the attorney general will be elected every four years. The attorney general, like South Carolina's other executive officials, is elected in midterm election years (e.g. 2018, 2022, 2026, etc.).[2]
Term limits
- See also: State executives with term limits
South Carolina attorneys general are not subject to term limits.[2]
2022
General election
General election for Attorney General of South Carolina
Incumbent Alan Wilson won election in the general election for Attorney General of South Carolina on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Alan Wilson (R) | 97.3 | 1,223,080 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.7 | 33,709 | ||
| Total votes: 1,256,789 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of South Carolina
Incumbent Alan Wilson defeated Lauren Martel in the Republican primary for Attorney General of South Carolina on June 14, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alan Wilson | 65.7 | 228,538 |
 | Lauren Martel | 34.3 | 119,247 | |
| Total votes: 347,785 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Past elections
Vacancies
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that details the process of filling vacancies for a state executive office. That information for the Attorney General of South Carolina has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Duties
The attorney general has duties in three distinct areas that mimic its roles: chief criminal prosecutor, chief legal officer and securities commissioner.[3]
| “ |
|
” |
Divisions
As of January 11, 2021, divisions within the Attorney General's Office included:[1]
- Legal Services
- Opinions
- Criminal Litigation
- Criminal Prosecution
- Victim Services
- Administration
- Executive
State budget
- See also: South Carolina state budget and finances
The budget for the attorney general's office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $116,081,250.[5]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
See statutes: SC Code § 1-1-1210 (2013)
The attorney general is entitled by statute to receive annual compensation, paid bi-monthly, in accordance with Title 1, Chapter 1, Section 1210 of the South Carolina Code of Laws.[6]
2024
In 2024, the officer's salary was $208,000, according to the South Carolina Department of Administration.[7]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $208,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $208,000, according to the Council of State Governments.
2021
In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2020
In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2019
In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2018
In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2017
In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2016
In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2015
In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2014
In 2014, the attorney general received a salary of $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2013
In 2013, the attorney general was paid an estimated $92,007. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.[17]
2010
In 2010, the attorney general was paid an estimated $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Attorney General of South Carolina has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms South Carolina Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Attorney General of South Carolina:
Rembert Dennis Building
1000 Assembly Street, Room 519
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: 803-734-3970
See also
| South Carolina | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alan Wilson, South Carolina Attorney General, "Inside the Office," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 South Carolina Legislature, "South Carolina Constitution." accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ SCAG.gov, "Office overview," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ South Carolina Legislature, "Appropriations Bill H. 5100," accessed January 22, 2025
- ↑ Justia.com, "Title 1 - Administration of the Government: CHAPTER 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS: SECTION 1-1-1210: Annual salaries of certain state officers," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ South Carolina Department of Administration, "State Salaries Query," accessed July 15, 2024
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 29, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," accessed April 23, 2011
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
