{"id":852,"date":"2026-06-02T09:37:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=852"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:37:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:37:05","slug":"websters-weekslong-blitz-for-democratic-bid-for-sc-gov-includes-2m-of-own-cash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=852","title":{"rendered":"Webster\u2019s weekslong blitz for Democratic bid for SC gov includes $2M of own cash"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

Billy Webster, who entered the race for the Democratic nomination for governor March 25, has spent more than $1.9 million since his campaign launch.<\/p>\n

Read more Gen Z is more optimistic than Boomers, but less attached to America, poll finds<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

His late entry forced him to spend heavily to boost his name recognition among people outside the regular political insiders.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To pay for the heavy spend, Webster, a Greenville businessman who started the payday loan business Advance America, loaned his campaign $2 million nearly matching a rival for the party\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to win, and I\u2019m going to put in what it takes to win, either contributed to me or be well resourced enough. And look, I\u2019m fortunate that I can do that,\u201d said Webster, who also has owned Bojangles franchises, among working in other industries.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Webster is on the June 9 Democratic ballot for the party\u2019s nomination against state Rep. Jermaine Johnson and Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

McLeod has put in $2.3 million of his own cash into the race.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Webster also has raised the most money from contributors as his campaign has been supplemented by deep-pocketed Democratic donors, according to state ethics commission reports. He raised $608,000 since entering the race.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Johnson has raised $491,000 and McLeod has raised $126,000 from donors, ethics commission records show. Johnson launched his exploratory committee in May 2025 and kicked off his campaign in late October. McLeod kicked off his campaign in August.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Webster\u2019s campaign messaging has said that the race for the nomination is about who could win and who could lead.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m the only candidate that can win,\u201d Webster said. \u201cThat\u2019s not a shot at Jermaine. Jermaine showed tremendous courage by getting in this race when nobody else did. I\u2019m not quite sure why Mullins got in, but you know, that\u2019s his to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Webster, spent more than double what McLeod spent between April 1 and May 20 and more than 20 times what Johnson spent.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to do what it takes to win. That means working hard, having great friends like Steve Benjamin, and being resourced well enough to win the primary and win the general election,\u201d Webster said at a news conference touting the endorsement from the former Columbia mayor. \u201cAs I\u2019ve said over and over again, I can\u2019t ask other folks to put their skin in the game if I don\u2019t have my own skin in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lower spending<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Johnson brought in $74,715 between April 1 and May 20. On his limited budget however, Johnson spent $94,000 leaving him with less than $79,800 for the final three weeks before the June 9 primary.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Johnson, in late April, had confidence he would be able to go on television to amplify his message. His campaign has bought time streaming services and YouTube.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be on air,\u201d Johnson said in April. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re just meeting the people where they are. I think that\u2019s the most important part, is meeting people where they are, talking to people doing these things \u2026 I\u2019m just going to talk to the people. I don\u2019t want to get bogged down in the mudslinging contest and all these different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Johnson, a three-term state representative, still has the ability to excite a crowd and received a loud ovation at the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention packed with party faithful and activists.<\/p>\n

Read more Sparse final debate stage in SC GOP gov primary mostly ignores those not there<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He has been fighting back against the narrative that he isn\u2019t electable in South Carolina.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to start redefining what electability means. It\u2019s not about who has the most money. It\u2019s not about being a middle-aged white man. It\u2019s who has the most qualifications to do this job,\u201d Johnson told the convention. \u201cI am the most qualified to do this job.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

McLeod raised $2,200 for his campaign between April 1 and May 20. However, after putting in $2.3 million of his own money into the campaign last year, he didn\u2019t contribute any additional money as Webster went on the air, according to ethics commission records.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

McLeod had been spending money directed toward outreach to the Black community, a key voting block in the Democratic electorate. He has spent nearly $559,000 on advertising since launching his campaign last year, according to Ethics Commission records. However, $285,000 of that amount has been spent since Webster entered the race.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He also has invested in texting communication, spending $66,000 to communicate with voters on their phones. About $45,000 of that amount has been spent after March 25.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In a text message sent out Thursday, McLeod criticized Webster for contributing to Republican candidates in the past.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of South Carolina cannot afford another four years of being sold out by greed,\u201d the McLeod campaign said in a text message. \u201cThe contrast between Billy Webster and myself could not be clearer.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In a separate statement to The State, his campaign criticized Webster\u2019s connection to a private equity firm. Golub Capital, where Webster serves on the board of directors, recently helped finance a $790 million deal involving an artificial intelligence platform.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cHis campaign has nothing to do with helping the people of South Carolina\u201d and rather with safeguarding the transaction. McLeod said. \u201cGreed is a bottomless pit and political corruption has no conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In response, Webster dismissed McLeod.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what he said, and he\u2019s not worth responding to,\u201d Webster said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

McLeod also declined to participate in the party\u2019s weekend convention because he said the party had speakers who had connections to data centers and artificial intelligence. The keynote speaker was U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a potential presidential candidate whose district includes Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the leadership of the Democratic Party should have done is invite a keynote speaker whose platform serves the people of South Carolina\u2019s interest and protects the people of South Carolina\u2019s interest,\u201d said McLeod, who did not take questions from the media while standing by the doors of the convention center. \u201cServant leaders like me stand on what is right, and what is right is to not participate in anything, a platform that would take people\u2019s jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Upcoming debate<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

South Carolina ETV has a debate scheduled for Democratic candidates for governor.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When<\/b>: 7 p.m. Wednesday<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Confirmed Participants<\/b>: State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod and Greenville businessman Billy Webster.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Where to watch:<\/b> The debate will be broadcasted on ETV and SC Public Radio, and streamed on SCETV website, SCETV Facebook page and the SCETV News YouTube channel as well as on the SC Public Radio website and SC Public Radio Facebook page.<\/p>\n

Read more Sparse final debate stage in SC GOP gov primary mostly ignores those not there<\/a><\/p>\n

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Greenville businessman Billy Webster loaned $2M to his Democratic gubernatorial campaign, outspending rivals ahead of the June 9 South Carolina primary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nWebster\u2019s weekslong blitz for Democratic bid for SC gov includes $2M of own cash - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=852\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Webster\u2019s weekslong blitz for Democratic bid for SC gov includes $2M of own cash - 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