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Attorney General of South Carolina: Difference between revisions

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|Assumed office =  
|Assumed office =  
|Compensation = 208,000
|Compensation = 208,000
|Next election ={{Greener|start=11/8/2022 8pm EST|before= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2022|November 8, 2022]] |after= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2026|November 3, 2026]] }}
|Next election ={{Greener|start=11/3/2026 8pm EST|before= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2026|2026]] |after= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2030|2030]] }}
|Last election={{Greener|start=11/8/2022 8pm EST|before= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2018|November 6, 2018]] |after= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2022|November 8, 2022]] }}
|Last election={{Greener|start=11/3/2026 8pm EST|before= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2022|2022]] |after= [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2026|2026]] }}
|Other offices = [[Governor of South Carolina|Governor]] • [[Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina|Lieutenant Governor]] • [[South Carolina Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] • [[South Carolina Comptroller General|Comptroller]] • [[South Carolina Attorney General|Attorney General]] • [[South Carolina Treasurer|Treasurer]] • [[South Carolina Auditor|Auditor]] • [[South Carolina Superintendent of Education|Superintendent of Education]] • [[South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture|Agriculture Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Director of Insurance|Insurance Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Director of Natural Resources|Natural Resources Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Director of Labor, Licensing and Regulation|Labor Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Public Service Commission|Public Service Commission]]
|Other offices = [[Governor of South Carolina|Governor]] • [[Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina|Lieutenant Governor]] • [[South Carolina Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] • [[South Carolina Comptroller General|Comptroller]] • [[South Carolina Attorney General|Attorney General]] • [[South Carolina Treasurer|Treasurer]] • [[South Carolina Auditor|Auditor]] • [[South Carolina Superintendent of Education|Superintendent of Education]] • [[South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture|Agriculture Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Director of Insurance|Insurance Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Director of Natural Resources|Natural Resources Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Director of Labor, Licensing and Regulation|Labor Commissioner]] • [[South Carolina Public Service Commission|Public Service Commission]]
}}
}}
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South Carolina attorneys general are not subject to term limits.<ref name=constitution/>
South Carolina attorneys general are not subject to term limits.<ref name=constitution/>


===2022===
===Election results===
::''See also: [[South Carolina Attorney General election, 2022]]''
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===Past elections===
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|panel1_title=2018
====2014====
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''See also: [[South Carolina attorney general election, 2014]]''
 
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|panel2_title=2014
|panel2_content=''See also: [[South Carolina attorney general election, 2014]]''
[[Republican]] incumbent [[Alan Wilson]] won re-election on November 4, 2014.
[[Republican]] incumbent [[Alan Wilson]] won re-election on November 4, 2014.
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{{SCAG2014GeneralResults}}


|panel3_title=2010
====2010====
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|panel4_title=2006
====2006====
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|panel5_title=2002
====2002====
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|date = November 5, 2002
|date = November 5, 2002
|pronoun = He
|pronoun = He

Latest revision as of 00:36, 17 December 2025

South Carolina Attorney General

SC Atty Gen logo.JPG

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
Republican Party
Assumed office: January 12, 2011

Elections
Next election:  2026
Last election:  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]

Election results

See also: South Carolina Attorney General election, 2030


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: South Carolina Attorney General election, 2026


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: South Carolina Attorney General election, 2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of South Carolina

Incumbent Alan Wilson (R) won election in the general election for Attorney General of South Carolina on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson (R)
 
97.3
 
1,223,080
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.7%
 
33,709

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,256,789
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for June 14, 2022, was canceled.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Attorney General of South Carolina

Incumbent Alan Wilson (R) defeated Lauren Martel (R) in the Republican primary for Attorney General of South Carolina on June 14, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson
 
65.7
 
228,538
Image of Lauren Martel
Lauren Martel  Candidate Connection
 
34.3
 
119,247

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 347,785
Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for Attorney General of South Carolina

Incumbent Alan Wilson (R) defeated Constance Anastopoulo (D) in the general election for Attorney General of South Carolina on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson (R)
 
55.1
 
938,032
Image of Constance Anastopoulo
Constance Anastopoulo (D)
 
44.9
 
764,806
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1%
 
996

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,703,8340
Candidate Connection = 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 runoff

Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of South Carolina

Incumbent Alan Wilson (R) defeated Todd Atwater (R) in the Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of South Carolina on June 26, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson
 
65.0
 
213,538
Image of Todd Atwater
Todd Atwater
 
35.0
 
115,133

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 328,671
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Attorney General of South Carolina

Constance Anastopoulo (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of South Carolina on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
✔
Image of Constance Anastopoulo
Constance Anastopoulo

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Candidate Connection = 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

Republican primary for Attorney General of South Carolina

Incumbent Alan Wilson (R) and Todd Atwater (R) advanced to a runoff. They defeated William Herlong (R) in the Republican primary for Attorney General of South Carolina on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson
 
48.6
 
166,860
✔
Image of Todd Atwater
Todd Atwater
 
29.7
 
102,038
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
William Herlong
 
21.6
 
74,199

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 343,097
Candidate Connection = 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.

Previous election results


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]

“
  1. Chief criminal prosecutor:
    • Represents the state in prosecuting criminal cases and holds supervisory authority over the prosecution of any and all criminal cases in the state;
    • Oversees the activities of the South Carolina Grand Jury including the prosecution of multi-jurisdictional drug offenders, obscenity, public corruption, election fraud, computer crime violations, terrorism and securities fraud;
    • Trains and supervises pro-bono domestic violence prosecutors in summary and municipal court and through a federal grant, prosecutes in state courts defendants accused of criminal domestic violence;
    • Represents the state in all death penalty appeals in both state and federal courts;
    • Prosecutes cases of internet crimes against children, including those involving sexual exploitation;
    • Investigates and prosecutes cases of Medicaid fraud, patient abuse and provider fraud;
    • Represents the state in civil confinement trials of alleged sexually violent predators under South Carolina’s Sexually Violent Predators statute;
    • Prosecutes all cases of insurance fraud;
    • Prosecutes violations of state’s tax laws;
    • Assists victims of crimes in claiming the benefits guaranteed under the South Carolina Victims Bill of Rights;
    • Represents the state when defendants file for post conviction relief and when they appeal their convictions;
    • Sponsors a youth mentor program designed to prevent juvenile crime and rescue at-risk youngsters before they commit violent offenses.
  2. Chief legal officer:
    • Represents and advises the state, its agencies, political subdivision and its officials in legal matters when the state is a party to a legal action, either as plaintiff or defendant;
    • Is responsible for employing and supervising those attorneys who represent the State, as well as, overseeing the state’s litigation and effectuating South Carolina’s legal policy;
    • Issues official legal opinions upon request by constitutional officers, members of the South Carolina General Assembly and certain state and local officials;
  3. Securities commissioner:
    • Oversees the registration of all persons engaged in the sale of securities in the state of South Carolina; investigates allegations of fraud or other violations of securities laws and takes appropriate enforcement action; and provides information on securities laws and practices.[4]
 ”

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

DocumentIcon.jpg 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.

Attorney General of South Carolina - Google News

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
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South Carolina State Executive Offices
South Carolina State Legislature
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2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
South Carolina elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alan Wilson, South Carolina Attorney General, "Inside the Office," accessed January 11, 2021
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 South Carolina Legislature, "South Carolina Constitution." accessed January 11, 2021
  3. ↑ SCAG.gov, "Office overview," accessed January 11, 2021
  4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. ↑ South Carolina Legislature, "Appropriations Bill H. 5100," accessed January 22, 2025
  6. ↑ 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
  7. ↑ South Carolina Department of Administration, "State Salaries Query," accessed July 15, 2024
  8. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
  9. ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
  10. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 11, 2021
  11. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 11, 2021
  12. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 11, 2021
  13. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 11, 2021
  14. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
  15. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
  16. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 8, 2014
  17. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 29, 2014
  18. ↑ The Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," accessed April 23, 2011
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