SC’s Cunningham still has cash advantage in reelection race, despite COVID-19 quarantine
Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham continues to raise more than the Republicans who are competing to challenge him in November in what will be one of the most closely watched, competitive races of the 2020 cycle.
The incumbent congressman reported raising $705,687 in the first fundraising quarter of this year and now has just under $2.5 million in cash on hand.
Though he was under quarantine for testing positive for COVID-19 during the last two weeks of March — a crucial time for fundraising — Cunningham did not raise much less than he typically has since winning election in 2018.
He has raised a total of $3.5 million this cycle so far.
Cunningham has pledged not to accept PAC money, but he did accept contributions from organizations that collected checks from donors who wanted the money to go directly to his campaign.
He received $11,200 in donations through the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, which supports Cunningham for his environmental record, most prominently his opposition to offshore drilling.
He received $2,000 from the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, which gathers funds for members of the contingent of moderate House Democrats of which Cunningham is a member. He also took in $15,954 from a group called the House Victory Project, established by a group of Democratic donors in the 2018 midterms to help individual Democratic U.S. House candidates win elections.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., gave Cunningham $2,000. Cunningham was also the beneficiary of $2,325 from the “Freshman Frontline Victory Fund,” a joint fundraising effort with three other freshmen Democrats in tough reelection fights this fall.
State Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Berkeley, the perceived front-runner to win her party’s nomination to go head-to-head with Cunningham later this year, reported raising $295,154 between Jan. 1 and March 31 of 2020. She has raised a total of nearly $1.2 million throughout her campaign so far and has $805,610 cash on hand.
Mace’s donors this quarter include $138,252 from donations through the PAC of the Club for Growth, an advocacy group for fiscal conservatism that has endorsed her candidacy. She also received $10,000 from U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was set to join Mace for a fundraiser in Charleston in March before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Mount Pleasant Town Councilwoman Kathy Landing, the other leading Republican vying to challenge Cunningham in November, raised $100,164 this fundraising quarter and now has $343,990 in cash on hand. She has raised a total of $568,377 this cycle so far.
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 12:39 PM.
