COLUMBIA — For the second time, South Carolina's Alan Wilson has been tapped by his GOP colleagues around the country to lead the national group focused on electing Republican attorneys general.
After previously being elected as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2013, Wilson will retake that position from Missouri's Eric Schmitt, who stepped down to focus on his campaign for U.S. Senate.
Wilson will reclaim his former role amid a period of turmoil for the national group.
Schmitt only recently ascended to the role after Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr resigned, citing a "significant difference of opinion" over the group's strategic direction.
That followed the January departure of executive director Adam Piper, a former Wilson aide, due to fallout over a robocall urging people to march to the U.S. Capitol ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 riots. Wilson publicly disavowed the robocall, saying he was not aware of the message until after the riots.
Schmitt said he pushed for Wilson to replace him, pointing to his experience leading the group once before as providing "an immense amount of institutional knowledge and leadership experience."
Despite the recent internal divisions in the group, Wilson said they "have always been united in their defense of the Constitution and rule of law."
"We must continue this battle while we prepare to fight on another front: the 2021 and 2022 elections," Wilson said. "With more than 30 attorney general races over the next two years, we must defend our incumbents and work to expand our majority."
Wilson was first elected as South Carolina attorney general in 2010 and has been re-elected twice. He is expected to pursue a 4th term in office in 2022.
