Incumbent Joe Wilson faces Judd Larkins in South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District

Oct. 22—U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., is one of four congressional incumbents from South Carolina facing an opponent in the 2022 midterm elections.

Wilson faces Democrat Judd Larkins to retain the seat representing Aiken County, Barnwell County, the western part of Orangeburg County and most of the Columbia suburbs.

Joe Wilson

Wilson has represented the Second Congressional District since was elected in a 2001 special election to replace his former boss, Floyd Spence.

He was born in Charleston to a father from Beech Island. Wilson has said during several Aiken events that his grandfather was also born in Beech Island.

Wilson graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1972.

He has also served in the Department of Energy during the first two years of the Reagan administration — Wilson often says he's the only congressman to have worked at the Savannah River Site — and as aide to Spence and former U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.

Wilson once told The Washington Post that Spence called him and asked him to run for the Second Congressional District seat while he was dying.

He is married to the former Roxanne Dusenbury McCrory and is the adoptive father to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Judd Larkins

Larkins is a native of Ninety Six, a town of just over 2,000 people in Greenwood County. He was born to a high school dropout that became a successful businessman and a school teacher. Larkins' mother died when he was 14 years old from breast cancer.

He is a graduate of Ninety Six High School. At the school, Larkins became a two-time track state champion. After high school, Larkins attended and graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University with a degree in language — Larkins is fluent in Mandarin Chinese — and international trade.

Larkins has also received a master's degree in business administration from the University of Cambridge.

He returned to Ninety Six to work for his father's business before becoming the owner of the first Shipley's Donuts in South Carolina.

Larkins lives in Columbia with his wife, Leslie, and their two dogs.

The issues

Wilson does not list major campaign issues on his website but has introduced several bills and spoken about the need to hold Russia accountable for its actions in Ukraine and on the inflation that continues to plague the economy. He has blamed the Democrats for the current state of the economy.

Larkins lists three major issues on his campaign website: "securing our future," investing in rural communities and protecting democracy. Within these issues are increasing housing affordability, protecting the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, lowering homelessness, protecting reproductive rights, making college more affordable and making communities safer.

Fundraising

Wilson has raised more than 11 times the amount of funds for the race.

As of Sept. 30, Wilson has raised $914,759.59 compared to the $81,609.22 that Larkins has raised.

Wilson has spent $688,099.20 and has $301,026.88 in cash on hand. Larkins has spent $77,839.90 and has $3,769.32 in cash on hand.

Election predictions

FiveThirtyEight says that Wilson has a greater than 99% chance of winning reelection. The FiveThirtyEight estimate for the race is 62%-38%.

The other incumbents facing opponents are Republicans Nancy Mace in the first district (Dr. Annie Andrews; Charleston, Hilton Head) and Ralph Norman in the fourth district (Evangeline Hundley; Charlotte suburbs) and Democrat Jim Clyburn in sixth district (Duke Buckner; central inland eastern South Carolina).

S.C. Rep. Russell Fry, R-Horry, also faces an opponent, Democrat Daryl Scott, in the seventh district that includes the Grand Strand and Pee Dee regions.

Republicans Jeff Duncan in the third district (Edgefield County, southwestern South Carolina) and William Timmons (Greenville, Spartanburg) do not face opponents.

The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8.

For more information, visit SCVotes.org.