Evette vs. Wilson: Where SC’s final GOP governor hopefuls stand on issues
South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidates Pamela Evette and Alan Wilson presented differing views on data center development. Evette advocates for data centers to fully cover their own electricity and water costs and for strong local community control. Wilson views data centers as crucial infrastructure, suggesting incentives to mitigate environmental impact and encourage returning unused power to the grid.
In the lead-up to South Carolina's Republican runoff election for governor, candidates Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson outlined their positions on several key issues, including data center development, tax reform, and abortion. While both candidates agreed on vetoing a restrictive abortion bill (S. 1095) and expressed desires to eliminate the state income tax, their approaches and philosophies varied.
A significant point of divergence emerged on data centers and their associated costs for electricity and water. Lt. Gov. Evette asserted that any data center wishing to establish itself in a community must bear the full expense of its energy needs or cover added costs for local ratepayers. She also emphasized the protection of agricultural water resources and advocated for local communities to have the ultimate authority in deciding on data center placement, stating, "the final say should come to the people."
Conversely, Attorney General Wilson offered a more conditional stance. He agreed that local communities should have the power to approve or reject data centers but also proposed incentivizing these facilities to reduce their environmental footprint and contribute unused electricity back to the grid to help lower utility rates. Wilson echoed former President Trump's view, describing data centers as a national security concern and essential infrastructure for future technologies, suggesting they are an inevitable development that will occur either in the U.S. or abroad. The candidates also differed on approaches to state income tax elimination and the need for a hate crime law in South Carolina, with Evette prioritizing rapid executive efficiency and Wilson proposing a long-term budget formula and a more confrontational legislative posture when necessary.