Man with S. Carolina roots hired to head up prosecutor group

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A political operative with deep South Carolina roots has been tapped to head up a national group that aims to elect Republicans to attorney general posts across the country.

According to the Republican Attorneys General Association, Adam Piper was named Tuesday as the organization’s next executive director.

For the past two years, Piper has served as policy director for the partisan group, founded in the late 1990s that works to elect Republicans to top prosecutorial positions across the country. He succeeds outgoing executive director Scott Will, who has served in the role since 2014.

Piper also spearheaded the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a public policy organization affiliated with RAGA.

In the 2018 midterm elections, the association raised and spent more than $42 million in 30 races, including nine tossups. That’s compared to $25 million in the 2014 cycle, according to the group.

Piper, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, spent five years working for South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in government relations and then as executive director. Prior to that, Piper was Wilson’s campaign manager and served two terms as third vice chairman of the state Republican Party.

Wilson, who was RAGA’s chairman in 2014, was elected to his third term as South Carolina’s top prosecutor last month.

Piper, 34, was also southeastern political director for Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign and, in 2007 and 2008, served as South Carolina campaign manager for Mike Huckabee’s White House effort.

Currently, Republicans hold 24 attorney general offices across the country, compared to Democrats’ 27, including the District of Columbia. Three attorney general elections will be held next year, and Piper said he’s convinced the GOP will make strides in those upcoming contests.

“I am confident we can regain the majority of state attorneys general in 2019,” Piper said. “I am also confident we can continue to recruit, elect, and re-elect strong attorneys general candidates who are committed to promoting, protecting, and preserving the rule of law in 2019, 2020, and beyond.”

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Meg Kinnard can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP .