Running mate's uncle gave maximum amount to his opponent for SC governor BY KIRK BROWN
Anderson Independent Mail May 23, 2018 07:58 AM
Former U.S. ambassador to Canada David Wilkins made $3,500 in campaign contributions, the maximum amount allowed under state law, to Gov. Henry McMaster last year.
His nephew, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins, was introduced Tuesday as the running mate for Catherine Templeton, one of McMaster's Republican rivals.
"Thanksgiving dinner may be awkward," Walt Wilkins said Tuesday. "No, that was a little tongue-in-cheek. He gave that money long before I was even a consideration for this campaign. He’s my uncle, I love him and he loves me, and I’m sure he’ll want his nephew to do the best that he can in everything he does.”
David Wilkins, who previously served as speaker of the state House of Representatives and also as chairman of the Clemson University board of trustees, was away on business Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
Records show that he donated $1,000 to McMaster's campaign on Jan. 27, 2017. He contributed another $2,000 on Feb. 24, 2017, and an additional $500 on Sept. 20, 2017.
Walt Wilkins' father, Billy Wilkins, is a former solicitor who served as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. |