SC governor hopeful Joe Cunningham stumps with running mate Tally Casey in Columbia
The afternoon rain let up just as Democratic nominee for governor Joe Cunningham arrived at the Hunter Gatherer Brewery at the Hangar where more than 100 people had come to hear him speak.
Without the aid of a microphone he brought his message of legalizing marijuana and sports betting, and his promise to veto any legislation that bans abortion in South Carolina if he were elected.
“I trust women to make their own health care choices,” he said, receiving cheers from the crowd.
The stop at the brewery was part of a weeklong tour around the state with his lieutenant governor running mate Tally Casey as they try to convince voters it’s time for a new generation of leaders.
“There’s a disconnect between where everyone else is and where politicians like our governor are,” Cunningham said. “There’s become such a disconnect and that’s what happens when you have somebody who’s been calcified in politics for over 40 years.”
Cunningham is looking to unseat Republican Gov. Henry McMaster who is seeking a second full term in November’s election.
“While Joe Cunningham lies about the governor, he refuses to say where he stands on Joe Biden’s foolish law that pretends we can spend our way out of inflation,” said McMaster Campaign Manager Mark Knoop. “The truth is that voters know the governor continues to deliver for them, including jobs, investment and fighting every single day for the values that make South Carolina great.”
As a way of introducing his running mate to the state, Cunningham this week made appearances with Casey in Charleston, Florence and Bluffton before Thursday’s visit to Columbia. On Friday they plan to be in the Upstate, including stops in Anderson and Spartanburg.
But going forward expect to see them campaigning separately as they aim to reach more voters with less than 75 days to Election Day .
“Sometimes you have to divide and conquer — we probably do some of both — (but) we really wanted to campaign together this week,” Casey said.
Columbia small business tour
Cunningham and Casey spent a chunk of Thursday afternoon on a walking tour of Columbia’s NOMA District around Main Street north of Elmwood Avenue. It is an area that has seen revitalization in recent years, with new coffee shops, bars, stores and other businesses popping up in what once was a struggling neighborhood.
The Democratic hopefuls toured Curiosity Coffee Bar, Gardener’s Outpost, Indah Coffee, and Columbia Printing and Graphics before offering speeches to a crowd of about 50 people at the NoMa Warehouse artists’ co-working space on Sumter Street.
“These are small businesses, and we need to look out for them and expand here in South Carolina,” Cunningham told The State after visiting with the merchants. “That’s who we need to look out for. Obviously there are a lot of things on people’s minds. Folks want South Carolina to be competitive with surrounding states, like North Carolina and Georgia.”
Cunningham pitched the idea of eliminating the state income tax. He said he’d push for new streams of revenue for the state, including legalizing sports betting here, suggesting the revenue could be used for, among other things, repairing roads in the Palmetto State.
“We want to end the handouts that go to corporations, especially out of state all the tax incentives that Gov. McMaster gives to our state corporations and we’re going to have to work with the state legislature,” Cunningham said about eliminating the state income tax. “It’s not going to happen overnight, but I can tell you this, it sure as hell ain’t going to take me 40 years to figure it out.”
Among those who greeted Cunningham’s team on its Main Street walking tour was University of South Carolina senior Courtney Fuller, who posed for a selfie with Casey and told the lieutenant governor candidate she was “an inspiration.”
Fuller, a Greenville native who said she plans to vote for Cunningham in the fall, offered an anecdote that is perhaps indicative of a shift in the way young people approach politics in the modern landscape.
“I have been following (Cunningham) on TikTok for a bit, and I agree with all his views,” Fuller said.
Sabrina Odom, executive director of the nonprofit North Columbia Business Association, guided Cunningham and Casey on their trip to the area businesses. She said she was enthused to have a gubernatorial hopeful checking out the progress the district has made.
“It means a lot, because we want to give the business owners a chance to talk about what their needs and wants are, and what has happened since the pandemic,” said Odom, who was quick to add she would also welcome Republican politicians to come tour the areas.
Scheduled debate
McMaster and Cunningham are scheduled to meet in a debate from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26 at the S.C. ETV studios in Columbia, ETV announced.
The debate is set to air on the SC ETV statewide network, with a livestream on scetv.org, and SCETV’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 8:40 PM.
