COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former Lowcountry Congressman Joe Cunningham won the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday as he used his money advantage to defeat state Sen. Mia McLeod and three other candidates in the race.
The Associated Press called the race at 10:22 p.m., showing Cunningham in the lead by 26 percentage points.
Cunningham ran up his support in Charleston County and other areas along the coast, which he represented in Congress for one-term.
He will go on to face Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who easily cruised to the GOP nomination, in the November general election.
In a 10-minute speech, McMaster talked up policies that he said has led to a “booming” economy in South Carolina. He touted anti-abortion legislation, support for law enforcement and his opposition to Biden administration policies.
“The policies of our national government are not a positive,” McMaster said.
When asked about a general election challenger and who he would rather face, McMaster was terse.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Anyone.”
Cunningham, who was the favorite to win the nomination, was one of five Democrats to seek the party’s nomination for governor, most notably defeating McLeod, the first Black woman in the state’s history to run for governor.
Columbia’s Carlton Boyd and Calvin McMillan, and William Williams, of Florence, also were on the ballot.
McLeod in her remarks Tuesday night did not concede the election.
“We don’t know what the results will be for tonight’s race, but what I do know, we ran one hell of a race,” McLeod said at a small gathering of supporters. “The work continues regardless of the outcome because South Carolinians are struggling and we do need real change in this state.”
Cunningham 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 then lost the seat to now U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Daniel Island, in 2020, even though he outperformed President Joe Biden in the district.
“It’s a money thing and time on the campaign thing and maybe a little bit on the electability,” said Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at the College of Charleston. “He certainly made electability a big part of his message.”
Cunningham raised more money than McLeod 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.
But facing McMaster will be an uphill battle in the reliable Republican 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,” Knotts said. “You probably have to have some missteps by the Republicans. The Republicans start with such a lead.”
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 has raised $1.8 million during the cycle. On May 25, Cunningham had $322,000 in the bank, according to the latest fundraising figures.
“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, said before the race was called.
On the campaign trail, Cunningham has 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 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.
McLeod was the other frontrunner in the race, but was at a financial disadvantage, only bringing a little more than a quarter of Cunningham’s haul during the roughly year-long primary race.
She was unable to run television advertisements and mainly relied on social media and in-person meet and greets.
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 state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton.
She faced the challenge of low name recognition outside of the Midlands where she serves as state senator.
Among those at McLeod party on Tuesday were state Rep. Russell Ott, D-Calhoun, Columbia Councilwoman Aditi Bussells and Irmo Mayor Barry Walker.
“I hope she gets the nomination from the Democratic Party so she can go out and work. But if she doesn’t, she made a good effort,” Walker said before the race was called. “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. However, 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’s no evidence that he did anything illegal.
--------
(The State Reporter Travis Bland contributed to this article.)
-------
