Lawyer Lin Wood Launches Bid to Lead South Carolina Republican Party

Lin Wood speaks at a press conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Nov. 8, 2011. Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Lin Wood, a lawyer who filed third-party lawsuits in support of former President Donald Trump’s election challenges, has announced his bid to lead the South Carolina Republican Party.

Wood said in a March 28 statement that he’s seeking to oust current state GOP chairman Drew McKissick, who has been at the organization’s helm since 2017.

In his statement, Wood cited a dispute over control of a local Republican Party organization in Horry County.

“A compelling reason for my decision to run for Chair of the South Carolina Party is that it is time for the leadership of the Party to recognize and appreciate the amazing Patriots stepping up to get involved in the party—this is NOT the time to take actions to exclude them,” Wood said in the statement, in which he complained about moves by state Republican leadership to limit what he said were “MAGA Republicans” having a stronger voice in the county.

“The current Chair, Drew McKissick, brought in a 25-year-old ’state representative,' appointed by the state executive director, removed the person in charge in the county, and took over,” Wood alleged.

“Counties run their counties. Interference by the state has no place in this county process,” he said.

McKissick, whom Trump recently endorsed for reelection, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times about Wood’s candidacy and allegations.

“I detest shady back room deals as I support shining light on darkness,” Wood said in the statement. “I want to help my new neighbors in South Carolina return the Republican Party back to The People. The People have ALL the power—not the elite cabal of the old guard leadership.”

In an earlier statement, Wood said he had been approached by “several concerned South Carolina Republicans who are conservative Patriots” and who asked him if he “just talked the talk or would I walk the walk.”

“They want to take back their Republican Party. They want to return the power to the people—the members of the party. They have endured enough Rino Republicanism in the present leadership of the South Carolina GOP. They are demanding change,” Wood wrote, adding that they explicitly asked him to run for the leadership of the South Carolina GOP.

“I said YES,” Wood wrote.

Wood recently announced he had moved to South Carolina after living in Georgia for some 65 years. Separately, he said that the State Bar of Georgia was seeking to discipline him, which followed news that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office launched an investigation into whether Wood voted illegally in the 2020 election.

Wood made news headlines in late 2020 after he filed lawsuits in Georgia against alleged election fraud following the November election. In an interview with The Epoch Times’ “Crossroads” program in December 2020, Wood said that courts were dismissing evidence of election fraud because the judges were compromised or threatened, and the Chinese Communist Party was involved in the background.