Joe Wilson
Republican · SC · U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District
A U.S. representative, former South Carolina state senator, attorney, and retired National Guard colonel, Wilson emphasizes national defense, lower taxes, and limited government.
Where Joe Wilson stands, based on their records
Supports
National Defense (3 records), Civil Rights (3 records), Public Infrastructure (1 record),
Opposes
Social Programs and Welfare (1 record), Gun Control (1 record)
Mixed record
Healthcare Affordability (1 support · 2 oppose), Peaceful Foreign Policy (2 support · 3 oppose)
Campaign Finance Information — United States Representative, Congressional District 2
Campaign Finance Information
Data last updated September 21, 2026
- Raised
- $861,105
- Spent
- $722,706
- Cash on hand
- $182,912
- Debts
- $0
Top disclosed occupations of direct donors
- RETIRED$653,967
- PRESIDENT$406,484
- ATTORNEY$121,624
- EXECUTIVE$46,718
- HOMEMAKER$44,936
PAC money by interest
Defense and aerospace · 17 PACs$69,000
Oil, gas, and energy · 3 PACs$22,500
Finance and investment · 5 PACs$18,000
Insurance · 6 PACs$17,500
- AFLAC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AFLAC PAC)$5,000
- INSURED RETIREMENT INSTITUTE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (IRI PAC)$5,000
- UNUM GROUP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (UNUMPAC)$2,500
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BENEFITS AND INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS PAC (NABIP PAC)$2,000
- AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LIFE INSURERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$1,500
- and 1 more
Manufacturing · 5 PACs$17,000
Donations sent through groups
Source: FEC · 2026 cycle · fec.gov
Track record
Track record — Healthcare Affordability
Healthcare Affordability · 1 support · 2 oppose
Introduced the PREVENT ESRD Act to encourage earlier kidney-disease screening and treatment with reduced patient cost sharing.
August 3, 2026Supports Healthcare Affordability
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted for the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduced Medicaid and food-assistance spending while extending and changing federal tax provisions. The House passed it 218-214.
July 3, 2025Opposes Healthcare Affordability
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted against the Affordable Care Act, which barred major insurance practices such as lifetime coverage limits and denials for children with pre-existing conditions. The House passed it 219-212.
March 21, 2010Opposes Healthcare Affordability
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — Social Programs and Welfare
Social Programs and Welfare · 1 oppose
Voted for the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduced Medicaid and food-assistance spending while extending and changing federal tax provisions. The House passed it 218-214.
July 3, 2025Opposes Social Programs and Welfare
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — Gun Control
Gun Control · 1 oppose
Voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which expanded background checks for some younger gun buyers and funded mental-health and community-safety programs. The House passed it 234-193.
June 24, 2022Opposes Gun Control
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — National Defense
National Defense · 3 support
Introduced bipartisan sanctions legislation targeting Russian and Iranian conduct.
August 19, 2026Supports National Defense
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Won enactment of the bipartisan Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, reducing procedural barriers to lending or leasing U.S. defense equipment to Ukraine and affected Eastern European countries.
May 9, 2022Supports National Defense
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Retired as a colonel from the South Carolina Army National Guard after 31 years of combined Reserve and Guard service.
July 1, 2003Supports National Defense
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 3 support
Introduced bipartisan legislation requiring U.S. reporting on governments and armed groups that recruit child soldiers in Africa and proposing support for reintegration programs.
June 15, 2026Supports Civil Rights
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Introduced bipartisan legislation requiring reports and sanctions addressing Russian persecution of religious communities in Ukraine and Russian-occupied territory.
April 23, 2026Supports Civil Rights
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Became chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, which monitors security, human rights, and democratic commitments in Europe and Eurasia.
January 3, 2025Supports Civil Rights
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — Public Infrastructure
Public Infrastructure · 1 support
Began a 17-year tenure in the South Carolina Senate, later chairing its Transportation Committee.
January 8, 1985Supports Public Infrastructure
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — Peaceful Foreign Policy
Peaceful Foreign Policy · 2 support · 3 oppose
Introduced bipartisan sanctions legislation targeting Russian and Iranian conduct.
August 19, 2026Opposes Peaceful Foreign Policy
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Introduced bipartisan legislation requiring U.S. reporting on governments and armed groups that recruit child soldiers in Africa and proposing support for reintegration programs.
June 15, 2026Supports Peaceful Foreign Policy
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Introduced bipartisan legislation requiring reports and sanctions addressing Russian persecution of religious communities in Ukraine and Russian-occupied territory.
April 23, 2026Opposes Peaceful Foreign Policy
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Became chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, which monitors security, human rights, and democratic commitments in Europe and Eurasia.
January 3, 2025Supports Peaceful Foreign Policy
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Won enactment of the bipartisan Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, reducing procedural barriers to lending or leasing U.S. defense equipment to Ukraine and affected Eastern European countries.
May 9, 2022Opposes Peaceful Foreign Policy
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — U.S.-Israel Ties
U.S.-Israel Ties · 5 support
Took an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel in June 2024, paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation, an organization tied to AIPAC, a group that lobbies Congress for U.S. military aid and support for Israel.
June 15, 2024Supports U.S.-Israel Ties
Source: disclosures-clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted for H.R. 8369, which would have ordered delivery of weapons shipments to Israel that the president had paused. It would have frozen some Pentagon, State Department and White House funds until delivery. The House passed it 224-187.
May 16, 2024Supports U.S.-Israel Ties
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted for H.R. 8034, which approved $26 billion in U.S. taxpayer money: military aid for Israel and funds for U.S. forces nearby. About $9 billion of it was humanitarian aid, and none could go to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. It passed 366-58 and became law in April 2024.
April 20, 2024Supports U.S.-Israel Ties
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted for H.R. 6126, which would have sent Israel $14.3 billion in U.S. taxpayer money as military aid. To pay for it, the bill would have taken the same amount from extra funding Congress gave the IRS. The House passed it 226-196.
November 2, 2023Supports U.S.-Israel Ties
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted for H.R. 5323, which gave Israel $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer money to restock its Iron Dome rocket-defense system. The House passed it 420-9. The money later became law inside a 2022 spending bill.
September 23, 2021Supports U.S.-Israel Ties
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — General
General · 5 records
Introduced legislation to create a new $250 bill bearing Donald Trump's image and exempt former presidents from the ban on living people appearing on currency.
February 27, 2025
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted for H.R. 6090, which would have told the Education Department to use a set definition of antisemitism in campus discrimination cases. The definition's examples include some statements about Israel. The House passed it 320-91.
May 1, 2024
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Voted for H.Res. 894, a House resolution that condemned antisemitism and stated that anti-Zionism is antisemitism. The House adopted it 311-14, with 92 members voting present.
December 5, 2023
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Began representing South Carolina in the U.S. House.
December 18, 2001
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Served as deputy general counsel to the U.S. energy secretary during the Reagan administration.
January 20, 1981
Source: joewilson.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Track record — Candidate Ethics
Candidate Ethics · 1 record
The House adopted a formal resolution disapproving his interruption of President Obama's address to Congress. The resolution passed 240-179.
September 15, 2009
Source: clerk.house.gov · researched September 20, 2026
Race Joe Wilson is in:
- United States Representative, Congressional District 2 · November 3, 2026 · Congressional District 2 (119th Congress), South Carolina · incumbent
Profile last researched September 19, 2026.