SC Democrat Joe Cunningham files preliminary paperwork for possible run for governor
In the last 24 hours, in both actions and words, Charleston Democrat Joe Cunningham dropped hint after hint that he’s eyeing a run for South Carolina governor.
Cunningham, who hasn’t publicly announced his candidacy, filed paperwork Wednesday with the S.C. Ethics Commission that shows he’s raising money for a possible gubernatorial run.
The paperwork is a necessary precursor to mounting a formal challenge against incumbent Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.
A spokesman for Cunningham declined to comment.
Despite the silence on Wednesday, Charleston’s former congressman on Tuesday night sounded like a candidate waiting in the wings as he addressed Democrats in Rock Hill.
At a York County Democratic Party social, Cunningham told the crowd that South Carolina “deserves a lot better” than the Republican governor it has.
“He’s a career politician — a very bad career politician,” Cunningham told nearly 50 attendees. “He’s been a politician longer than I’ve been alive. He’s wanted his entire life just to have the title of governor but not to do the work.”
The crowd, which huddled under a small pavilion near Rock Hill’s Boyd Hill Recreation Center to hear Cunningham speak, cheered in response.
Asked Tuesday night if he was laying the groundwork for a possible run for governor, Cunningham responded, “I’m strongly considering it.”
Since leaving Congress in January, Cunningham has been crisscrossing the state, giving speeches at county Democratic conventions and making virtual appearances with civic and political groups.
In a setting far from his Charleston home, Cunningham called Rock Hill “a pivotal part of the state.”
“I think that this is going to be a critical part of the electorate for success in any election statewide in 2022,” he said.
If Cunningham jumps into the race, he would be the first major Democrat to enter the 2022 contest.
Democratic activist Gary Votour of Columbia declared a bid earlier this year.
So far, no Republicans have announced plans to challenge the sitting governor, whose reelection campaign has already begun.
McMaster’s latest campaign finance reports show the 73-year-old has already raised more than $1.6 million for his 2022 reelection bid and has nearly $1.1 million in his war chest.
S.C. Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick had three words for Cunningham should he decide to enter the race: “Bring it on.”
“Any time a Republican goes head-to-head with a Democrat on the issues, Republicans win. We expect to see the same result in 2022 as we did in 2018 – a Republican in the governor’s mansion,” McKissick said in a statement.
Republicans have accounted for six of South Carolina’s past eight governors. The Palmetto State has not elected a Democrat as governor since 1998.
Cunningham, an attorney specializing in construction law, had never run for political office when he was narrowly elected to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in 2018. After one term in office, he lost his seat in 2020 to Republican Nancy Mace.
This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 4:33 PM.
