¶ How To Win Against Joe Wilson
Joe Wilson has never shown an interest in helping South Carolinians. Since joining Congress in 2001, he has consistently supported efforts to restrict his constituents' access to healthcare: first, by backing multiple efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and most recently by voting to kick more than 35,000 of his constituents off their health coverage by supporting the Big Ugly Bill. He supported DOGE's efforts that hamstrung South Carolina businesses, voted to protect Trump's tariffs that threatened to sink his state's manufacturing industry, and supported raising the retirement age as a member of the Republican Study Committee. Wilson didn't miss an opportunity to abuse his privileges as a Congressman, either: in 2010 he was part of a Congressional Ethics investigation after spending over $100,000 taxpayer dollars on foreign trips and personal gifts.
¶ Wilson Voted For Devastating Health Care Cuts
- Wilson voted for a bill that would kick 17 million Americans off their health insurance, including nearly 12 million Americans off of Medicaid. More than 35,000 South Carolinians could lose their health coverage as a result of his votes. South Carolina hospitals were projected to lose $2.4 billion by 2043 due to the bill’s Medicaid cuts, and seven South Carolina hospitals, accounting for 29% of hospitals across the state, were at risk of offering reduced care and closure due to the cuts.
- Since coming to congress in 2001, Wilson has also repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which he called to be “repealed and replaced” even though nearly 590,000 South Carolinians relied on the ACA to access health insurance. Wilson, who has accepted more than $460,000 in campaign contributions from the insurance industry over his career, has called the ACA “failed” legislation and made it a legislative priority of his to repeal. Most recently, Wilson voted against extending enhanced ACA tax credits and as a result South Carolinians faced premium increases.
Message: Wilson voted to take health coverage from South Carolinians to give billionaires tax breaks.
¶ Wilson Supported Policies That Threatened South Carolina Seniors' Services And Benefits
- In May and July 2025, Wilson voted for Republicans’ reconciliation bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimated would trigger more than $500 billion in cuts to Medicare.
- Wilson voted against allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs and capping the cost of insulin. Over the course of his time in Congress, Wilson has accepted $161,643 in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical/health products industry.
- Wilson was a member of the Republican Study Committee, which staunchly advocated for raising the age at which seniors would be eligible to collect Social Security. The Committee claimed that the age increase was essential for keeping Social Security solvent, ignoring that a higher retirement age would cut the median-wage retiree’s benefits by thousands of dollars every year. The Committee also advocated for switching to a “premium support” healthcare system, which would raise health care costs for most beneficiaries.
Message: Wilson worked to make health care and prescription drugs more expensive and less accessible for South Carolina seniors.
¶ Wilson Voted To Cut Food Assistance His Constituents Rely On To Afford Groceries
- Wilson voted for a bill that made the largest SNAP cut in history. Over 30,000 households, making up 13.3% of his district, relied on SNAP to afford groceries.
Message: Wilson voted to cut food assistance his constituents relied on to afford groceries, all to give tax cuts to billionaires.
¶ Wilson Was The Deciding Vote To Protect Trump’s Tariffs
- Wilson embraced Trump’s tariffs and claimed they were improving the margins for the wood production industry in South Carolina. Then, he voted six times to protect the tariffs, including in April 2025 when he was the deciding vote to protect them, dooming South Carolina families who relied on him to a trade war and threatening to sink his state’s manufacturing industry. Tariffs are contributing to higher food prices, could raise car insurance rates and caused “mega-layoffs” across the nation.
Message: Wilson thought that paying higher prices, dealing with “mega-layoffs” and tanking South Carolina’s manufacturing industry were okay as long as Trump was happy.
¶ Wilson Supported An Agency That Laid Off Federal Workers And Hamstrung Social Security
- Wilson was an early supporter of Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.” As soon as Trump was elected Wilson joined the “Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE)” Caucus in order to support the government agency’s agenda, and frequently called on the agency to audit foreign aid the U.S. sent to countries with ties to foreign adversaries.
- Despite all the time Wilson spent greenlighting DOGE’s actions, South Carolinians were suffering thanks to the agency’s actions. DOGE’s downsizing efforts were affecting the federal government’s ability to deliver services to seniors, and DOGE federal funding cuts devastated South Carolina’s humanities programs. More than 170,000 South Carolinians in Wilson’s district relied on Social Security benefits and 16,800 were employed by the federal government.
Message: Wilson supported an agency that eliminated his constituents’ jobs and caused seniors to wait longer for services.
¶ Wilson’s Extreme Anti-choice Views Endangered South Carolina Women
- Wilson expressed extreme anti-choice views that put South Carolina women’s lives at risk. On six different occaisions he co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, a near-total abortion ban that provided no protection for IVF. He also supported anti-choice legislation rooted in misinformation, called the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade “correct” and consistently received an “A+” rating from the anti-choice organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
Message: Wilson extreme anti-choice views endangered South Carolina women.
¶ It Took Wilson 11 Months To Vote To release The Epstein Files
- Wilson voted twice to protect the accused pedophiles named in the Epstein files, and never cosponsored legislation or signed Rep. Thomas Massie’s discharge petition that called for the Epstein files to be released. Only after Trump signaled it was okay did Wilson vote to release the files and claim to stand by the Oversight Committee’s release of files related to Epstein’s investigation.
Message: Wilson claimed to support the release of the Epstein files, but voted to protect the accused pedophiles named in the files until Trump signaled it was okay to vote to release them.
¶ Wilson Said His Confederate Heritage Was “Very Honorable”
- As a state senator in 2000, Wilson voted against removing the Confederate flag from outside the South Carolina state capitol building. In defense of his vote, Wilson called the Confederate flag part of his “heritage” and said “the Confederate heritage is very honorable.”
Message: Wilson showed how out of touch and out of date he is by proudly standing by the Confederacy and calling its heritage of slavery and racism “honorable.”
¶ Wilson Was Formally Reprimanded By The House For An Inappropriate Outburst
- In the middle of former President Obama’s joint address to Congress about the Affordable Care Act, Wilson shouted “you lie!” when Obama refuted claims that the Affordable Care Act provided coverage to undocumented immigrants. Wilson issued an apology after the fact, but doubled down on his criticism of Obama even though his own claim had been proven false. He then refused to give a second apology on the House floor, and was publicly rebuked for his behavior.
Message: Wilson embarrassed himself and South Carolinians by failing to keep his composure during a nationally televised event.
¶ Wilson Was Accused Of Abusing Taxpayer Funding To Go On Foreign Trips And Purchase Personal Gifts
- Wilson was one of several congressmembers involved in a House Ethics Committee investigation over their alleged misuse of foreign travel funds, in which Wilson was found to have purchased marble goblets while on a trip to Afghanistan. Later, the investigation into Wilson was broadened to include his unusually high number of foreign trips since taking office, which were found to have cost taxpayers over $100,000. While the investigation was later dropped, Wilson said he “stood by the [dollar] numbers” and was within his right to take as many foreign trips as he had.
Message: How can South Carolinians trust Wilson to keep prices down when he’s traveling abroad and buying personal gifts on their dime?
¶ Issue Briefs
¶ Wilson Supported Policies That Hurt Everyday South Carolinians
Wilson Voted To Take Health Coverage From South Carolinians
Wilson Supported Policies That Hurt South Carolina Seniors
Wilson Voted To Take Food Assistance From South Carolinians
Wilson Protected Trump's Tariffs
Wilson Watched While Seniors And Federal Workers Came Under Attack
Wilson's Anti-Choice Views Endangered South Carolina Women
¶ Wilson Used His Power To Benefit Himself And The Powerful
Wilson Only Voted To Release The Epstein Files After Trump Said It Was Okay To Do So
Wilson Said His Confederate Heritage Was "Very Honorable"
Wilson Was Formally Reprimanded By The House For An Inappropriate Outburst
Wilson Was Investigated For His Misuse Of Per-Diem Expense Money
Wilson's Key Votes In Congress