Attorney General Alan Wilson has tapped Florence Republican Sen. Mike Reichenbach to join his campaign for governor as his lieutenant governor running mate.
Wilson is the first candidate for governor to announce a running mate.
Reichenbach, 54, was first elected to the state Senate in 2022 in a special election to fill the unexpired term previously represented by the late powerful state Sen. Hugh Leatherman.
An Ohio native, Reichenbach is the president and owner of car dealerships in Florence and Bluffton. Reichenbach, a married father of two, is the sole Black Republican senator in the upper chamber.
“Mike Reichenbach has a proven record of getting results," Wilson, 52, said in an announcement on Friday. "Together, we will work hard each day to protect our families and values. With a new age of conservative leadership, we will make South Carolina more affordable for families and profitable for our businesses.”
In his announcement, Wilson touched on Reichenbach's background as the son to a 14-year-old mother, who gave Reichenbach up for adoption.
Reichenbach has shared that personal story in the Senate, particularly throughout debates over abortion restrictions.
Reichenbach sits on five Senate committees in addition to a joint legislative committee focused on children. In a press conference with Senate Republican leadership on Wednesday, in response to a question about abortion legislation, Reichenbach told reporters the children's committee is "taking a much greater focus on how do we support those who do choose life."
That includes, he said, expediting the foster care process and making adoption more feasible and more affordable.
Wilson's campaign said Friday the pair will "represent a new generation of conservative leadership."
“This election is about the future of South Carolina,” Reichenbach said, in part, in a statement Friday. “It’s about taking our state to the next level and remaining a state that honors God, strengthens families, and protects your freedoms."
Wilson, who is the adopted son of Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, was first elected the state's chief prosecutor in 2010.
He is one of five known GOP candidates for governor, who also include Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Congressman Ralph Norman and Congresswoman Nancy Mace, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell.
Wilson and Reichenbach will hold their first joint campaign stop Monday night in Florence.
