Post-9/11 combat vets running for statewide office in S.C.

Three post-9/11 combat veterans are running for statewide office in South Carolina; the state purportedly with the highest percentage of veterans per capita in the nation. They are the first, and it is a relatively new dynamic since combat operations began for U.S. forces in the weeks and months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Lt. Col. Bill Connor, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan is running for Lieutenant Governor. Maj. Gen. Bob Livingston, who also served in Afghanistan, is running for Adjutant General. And Capt. Alan Wilson, who served in Iraq, is running for Attorney General.

Connor announced his run in March 2009. Wilson and Livingston announced their candidacies last fall. Connor and Wilson both have primary opposition, and recent polls show narrow leads for both with the primary election on June 8. Livingston is running unopposed.

Brig. Gen. Mick Zais – a Vietnam veteran – is also running for Superintendent of Education.