Cunningham clinches Democratic nomination for SC governor, will face McMaster in November
Joe Cunningham will face Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in November after the former Lowcountry congressman won the Democratic primary Tuesday.
Unofficial results Wednesday showed Cunningham with a sizeable lead over McLeod, by about 26 percentage points. The State Election Commission will certify the results Friday.
There were five candidates in the Democratic race for governor, but Cunningham’s main challenger was state Sen. Mia McLeod, a Richland County Democrat and the first Black woman to run for governor.
Cunningham’s fundraising lead helped him build up support in his home base of Charleston County and other areas along the coast, which he represented in Congress for one term.
“To Sen. Mia McLeod, thank you for putting yourself forward to run and for a spirited debate on the issues,” Cunningham said from his election night watch party in Charleston. “Even though we were competitors, we’re now on the same team. I look forward to working with you in the months to come as we bring our state out of the past and into the future.”
To the crowd of about 500, Cunningham said, “I cannot express my appreciation for the trust that you placed in me. I promise you I will never, ever let you down.”
Cunningham, 40, pitched his campaign as the best chance for Democrats to knock off McMaster in November, pointing to his 2018 election victory when he defeated Katie Arrington in the 1st Congressional District — the first time a Democrat had done so since the 1980s. Cunningham lost his reelection in 2020 to Rep. Nancy Mace, who beat Arrington Tuesday for the Republican nomination in the district.
Meanwhile, McLeod, told voters to try something different and avoid another “Republican light” candidate.
“I think we ran a top-notch campaign,” McLeod said. “We were small in number but we were mighty in terms of our reach. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to emerge as the nominee.”
Cunningham has not announced who he plans to pick as his lieutenant governor running mate.
But it won’t be McLeod, she says.
“That’s not why I was running,” McLeod said. “I wasn’t running to be lieutenant governor. I have more experience than my opponent.”
McMaster cruises to primary win with massive money haul
McMaster celebrated his win Tuesday night over Harrison Musselwhite across the river in West Columbia, where for 10 minutes he touted the state’s “booming” economy and reiterated his opposition to policies enacted by the Biden administration.
“The policies of our national government are not a positive,” McMaster said.
When asked who he would rather face in November, McMaster, 75, was terse.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Anyone.”
Cunningham will face an uphill battle challenging a Republican incumbent in a historically red state. In recent gubernatorial elections, Democrats have only received support in the mid-40s.
In 2010, Vincent Sheheen lost to former Gov. Nikki Haley by fewer than 4.5 percentage points. The margin widened in the 2014 rematch when Sheheen lost by 14.5 points. In 2018, James Smith lost to McMaster — who was governor but running for his first full term — by 8 percentage points.
“Any Democrat has to run the perfect race,” said Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at the College of Charleston. “You probably have to have some missteps by the Republicans. The Republicans start with such a lead.”
Cunningham raised more money than McLeod ahead of the primary with the ability to tap into the network of donors he formed during his two years in Congress. It also allowed him to run television ads during the last three weeks of the primary election season, a key election tool when candidates lack statewide name ID.
“He was able to put together a campaign that included almost every corner of the state as well as the nuts and bolts of what it takes to have a successful campaign from TV, to radio, to digital to grassroots,” said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist in South Carolina.
McMaster also has access to a larger campaign war chest for the general election, having raised $5.3 million through May 25 with $3.3 million in the bank. Cunningham raised $1.8 million, and ended the campaign with $322,000, according to the latest fundraising figures.
During the primary race Cunningham pushed for progressive policies aimed at exciting Democratic voters.
On the campaign trail, Cunningham said he would veto any abortion ban passed by lawmakers, expand Medicaid in the state and push to raise the starting pay for teachers in the state to $50,000 by the end of his administration.
Cunningham also secured endorsements from a couple of high-profile Democrats in the state, including former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, who bypassed his State House colleague McLeod.
“I feel fairly confident that he will get the victory tonight because I think he’s got the best shot of going up against McMaster,” said Brian Simmons, a 40-year-old teacher from Charleston.
McLeod makes history, suffers fundraising setback
McLeod could not overcome a fundraising shortage that proved difficult to overcome.
She only raised a little more than a quarter of Cunningham’s haul during the roughly year-long primary race, leaving her unable to run television ads and instead relying on social media and in-person meet and greets.
“Our journey has been one that has excited and energized people across South Carolina like nothing ever has,” McLeod told supporters in Columbia. “We made history, and South Carolina will be better because it.”
McLeod pitched her campaign as an opportunity for Democrats to try a strategy different from nominating a white man for the general election. She secured endorsements from state Reps. JA Moore and Marvin Pendarvis, and state Sen. Marlon Kimpson, who all represent parts of Charleston County, Cunningham’s home base. She also was endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, and Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton.
McLeod ran on her rural roots, but that support she found in the rural areas of the state wasn’t enough to catapult her to the nomination.
She faced the challenge of low name recognition outside of the Midlands where she serves as state senator.
“She made a good effort,” Irmo Mayor Barry Walker said. “It’s more than just money. Everybody thinks it’s about money.”
The race for the Democratic nomination had been low key for more than a year leading up to Tuesday’s vote. A week before Election Day, McLeod took some personal shots at Rutherford after he endorsed Cunningham.
It led to a social media back-and-forth where McLeod criticized Rutherford for trying to help his wife become a magistrate, for his use of a state airplane and how he directed money to his mother-in-law’s non profit. Rutherford has denied any wrongdoing and there was never evidence he did anything illegal.
“This has been an amazing journey for not just our team, but all of South Carolina,” McLeod said. “I could not be more proud tonight than I am of my team, who are now my family, my friends, all of who have prayed for and with us, who have stood for and with us, as we traveled around the state talking to everyday people and putting working people at the top on our list of priorities in our state.”
Reporter Travis Bland contributed to this article.
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Cunningham clinches Democratic nomination for SC governor, will face McMaster in November."
