Palmetto Politics: “Chaos erupted at the Charleston County GOP meeting when attorney Lin Wood pushed conspiracy theories that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. It was part of Wood’s pitch to replace S.C. Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick next month. Guests packed a ballroom at the Double Tree Hotel on April 12 to listen to Wood, an attorney whose party platform for South Carolina Republicans revolves around emphatically supporting Trump and calling out politicians who don’t back him enough. ‘I did not come to divide you,’ Wood said. ‘I came to unite you and and grow your party.’ Every time Wood talked about how Trump was actually president, many in the room erupted in applause. Other stayed silent. Maurice Washington, chairman of the Charleston County GOP, interjected multiple times reminding the crowd to be respectful of opposing viewpoints when members began to shout at each other about the November election results.”

“Even after Wood’s speech when the Charleston County GOP tried to continue their regular scheduled meeting, their agenda was interrupted and distracted by shouting and yelling from those following the attorney as he exited the hotel. Wood’s platform illustrates the schism forming among Republican organizations throughout the state, where local county GOP groups are faced with an identity crisis and split membership that many see relies on the litmus test: How loyal are you to the former president and do you believe his claims about the election? The 75 person-suggested occupancy of the meeting room was widely ignored, as was social distancing and mask wearing, as GOP members crammed in with many opting to stand and some spilling into the hotel hallway. A few guests wore ‘Win With Lin’ shirts and passed around pamphlets advocating for the lawyer. Wood announced March 29 he would challenge McKissick for the chairmanship only a few months after moving to the Palmetto State from neighboring Georgia. The former Atlanta-based attorney rose to national fame last year for spearheading baseless claims of election fraud after Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.”