POLITICO
Conspiracy theorist Lin Wood had sought to portray the incumbent state party chairman as an establishment moderate.
South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick gestures as he speaks to the Richland County GOP convention on April 30, 2021. | Meg Kinnard/AP Photo
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Pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood’s bid to bring “chaos” to South Carolina’s GOP was halted on Saturday when he failed to unseat the party’s chairman after baselessly accusing the incumbent of voter fraud and a host of other slurs.
Chairman Drew McKissick’s reelection was not in doubt among knowledgeable Republicans who say the party delegate rules favor longtime insiders. Wood, an accomplished trial lawyer from Georgia who turned into a conspiracy theorist, moved this year from Georgia and mounted an unexpectedly strong candidacy for a complete outsider.
Lin Wood Falls to Trump-Endorsed Drew McKissick in Bid to Lead South Carolina GOP
On 5/15/21 at 2:23 PM EDT
The State reported.
Wood only became a registered South Carolina voter in February and was soon after recruited to take on McKissick, who took over the Republican Party in 2017.
The final delegate count was 582 for McKissick and 239 for Wood. Despite falling well short, the Atlanta attorney swept two of the state s more conservative strongholds, Horry and Greenville counties, but not enough to sway the incumbent s broad base of support across the state.
Read more It s not surprising that someone who has no roots in the state and no contacts within that group of people to speak of doesn t do very well, McKissick said of Wood in remarks to reporters after the election.