McLeod challenges Cunningham to SC debate 2 weeks before Democratic gov primary
State Sen. Mia McLeod on Tuesday challenged former Congressman Joe Cunningham to a debate the same day South Carolina voters began casting ballots in the June 14 statewide primary election for governor.
“I’m ready to debate Joe Cunningham immediately. I’m sure he, like any serious candidate, will agree that the people of South Carolina deserve to hear where we stand on the issues that matter most,” McLeod, D-Richland, said. “I’ve eagerly accepted every invitation to debate I’ve received. Joe has not. I hope that will change.”
Cunningham and McLeod are seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. The winner will likely take on Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in the November general election.
McLeod made her challenge May 31, the first day of no-excuse early voting in South Carolina. The early voting period ends Friday, June 10.
McLeod said in a video posted to Twitter Tuesday that South Carolina ETV had planned a June 1 debate but Cunningham did not confirm his attendance, leading the debate’s cancellation.
In response, Cunningham’s campaign said it was approached by Brandon Upson, the chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Black Caucus, about a month ago regarding participation in a June 1 debate. The Cunningham campaign said it agreed it would only participate in debates sanctioned by the South Carolina Democratic Party, and the June 1 South Carolina ETV debate was not one.
Why it was not a sanctioned debate is unclear.
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson declined to comment on why the June 1 debate was not sanctioned by the party, but said he expected to release a statement about efforts to organize other debates.
Upson was paid $900 by McLeod’s campaign on May 4, according to a financial report filed on Monday with the South Carolina Ethics Commission.
Upson told The State Tuesday he doesn’t have a role on the McLeod campaign, and only sold the campaign a national email list of roughly 100,000 names that it can use for fundraising.
“Joe welcomes the opportunity to debate all his Democratic primary opponents,” Trevor Maloney, Cunningham’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “That’s why we have proposed debates and are still waiting to hear back from our opponents. Any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate at best or purposefully misleading at worst.”
A televised event would give both candidates more exposure in the race, but particularly McLeod who, unlike Cunningham, has not run any ads.
Cunningham also has outraised McLeod.
He’s so far raised $1.7 million for his campaign through the end of March, leaving him with about $536,000 cash on hand. McLeod has raised $492,000 through May 18, leaving her with about $67,000 left in the bank.
Both candidates have crisscrossed the state for months in hopes of exciting voters to cast ballots for them. In addition to in-person events with voters, both also have participated in online forums hosted by interest groups that have not garnered much widespread attention.
That isn’t enough in a state that lacks statewide high-speed internet, McLeod said.
“They do not serve as a substitute for a professionally broadcasted and moderated, formal debate on the issues.” McLeod said. “As candidates, we all agree that our state’s broadband infrastructure is woefully inadequate — social media streaming is not a replacement for a televised debate that airs statewide.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 11:01 AM with the headline "McLeod challenges Cunningham to SC debate 2 weeks before Democratic gov primary."
