Democratic State Representative Jermaine Johnson is hoping to be the latest Democrat to benefit from a potential blue wave in November, but his gubernatorial campaign in South Carolina is reeling from a recently-resurfaced video, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, in which he urges South Carolinians to “come together and say F#CK ICE.”
“These masked agents are just terrorizing people in South Carolina. I need yall [sic] to join me by donating $5 right now and say [sic] F#CK ICE,” Johnson wrote on Facebook almost a year ago, linking to an ActBlue fundraiser.
Johnson’s approach is risky, because South Carolina has long been one of President Donald Trump’s strongest states, and while Democrats are eager to oust Sen. Darline Graham (R., S.C.), Attorney General Alan Wilson is viewed as a heavy favorite to succeed Gov. Henry McMaster (R., S.C.).
While Wilson spent weeks in a primary runoff against the state’s current lieutenant governor, Pam Evette, Johnson appears to have been unable to consolidate much support against the sitting attorney general.
Johnson’s campaign did not respond to request for comment.
