South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley should appoint Representative Joe Wilson as Senator Jim DeMint’s replacement. (See Bridget Johnson on DeMint’s departure.) Most Americans remember that Rep. Wilson was the first to vocally stand up to Obama’s healthcare plan in the House (albeit in unique circumstances.) Wilson hails from Lexington County, a hotbed of Tea Party activism. Wilson also mixes a movement conservative’s worldview with a temperament that will make him an effective U.S. Senator. Haley can send a message that South Carolina will be represented by at least one Senator willing to stand up to an emboldened second Obama term.
Wilson is the natural pick. He has worked in the trenches of the conservative movement for decades. His son, Attorney General Alan Wilson, has fought back hard against Eric Holder’s overreach, most notably beating Holder over the South Carolina Voter ID fight. So Wilson would join Senate colleagues like John Cornyn (TX) and Jeff Sessions (AL) conversant in the language of Holder’s lawlessness.
If Haley make the mistake of bypassing Wilson, it is important that she pick a genuine conservative like Wilson. Rep. Tim Scott from Charleston would be a great choice. Or to really send a message to President Obama and Eric Holder about South Carolina’s willingness to fight their overreach, send Senator Chip Campsen, the author of the South Carolina voter ID law the federal court just approved.
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