Lindsey Graham: Joe Cunningham will be ‘formidable opponent’ in SC governor’s race
Hours after announcing he will enter the South Carolina governor’s race, Democrat Joe Cunningham scored unlikely praise Monday from South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Speaking to reporters after touring a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in North Charleston, Graham predicted Cunningham will be “a formidable opponent” as Republican Gov. Henry McMaster seeks reelection in the Palmetto State.
“Joe’s a hard-worker. He’s a nice guy. As a Republican, I would take his candidacy seriously,” Graham said. “I think he’ll take the state in a different direction than I would prefer it to go. I think his politics are different, but in terms of being a good person, he is. In terms of being a hard worker, he will do the hard work.”
South Carolina’s senior Republican senator also pledged to support McMaster in the 2022 contest. Graham said the sitting governor has “done a good job” for the state, especially during the pandemic.
“COVID’s been hell. It’s been tough on this state,” Graham said. “Gov. McMaster, I think, has managed this well.”
But when asked about Cunningham’s decision to enter the governor’s race, Graham said, “That is a good get for the Democratic Party. I think Joe will be a formidable opponent.”
Graham won his U.S. Senate seat in November after facing the toughest challenge of his political career and defeating Democrat Jaime Harrison.
In a nod to that 2020 race, which was the most expensive U.S. Senate race in state history, Graham said, “But I think I’ve proven one thing: That it’s still a pretty Republican state.”
Cunningham took to Twitter to reply to Graham’s comments.
“Even Lindsey Graham knows to take our campaign seriously. We’re going to make history in South Carolina in 2022,” Cunningham wrote.
Cunningham, a former congressman from Charleston, entered the gubernatorial race on Monday after confirming his plans to The State on Sunday evening.
“The challenges we face aren’t because of our people. They’re because of our politicians. And after 20 years of trying the same thing, it’s time for something different, something new,” Cunningham said in a three-minute campaign video released Monday.
Cunningham, 38, becomes the first major Democrat to seek his party’s nomination in the South Carolina governor’s race. Democratic activist Gary Votour of Columbia declared a bid earlier this year.
No Republicans have announced plans to challenge the sitting governor.
In his campaign video, Cunningham pledged to expand Medicaid, increase teacher pay, expand voting rights, fix roads. He also said he would support legislation to put term limits on politicians in Columbia.
The Republican Governor’s Association criticized Cunningham’s candidacy Monday morning, claiming the former congressman will bring the “far-left plans” of Washington Democrats to Columbia.
“The good news is that Cunningham’s plans to be Governor are just another liberal pipe dream to turn South Carolina blue that is all but doomed to fail again,” RGA spokesman Will Reinert said in a statement.
South Carolina has not elected a Democrat as governor since Jim Hodges in 1998. In 2018, McMaster defeated Democrat James Smith by 8 percentage points. That same year, Cunningham became first Democrat in nearly 40 years to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
However, in November 2020, Cunningham’s first term in Congress became his last when former state Rep. Nancy Mace, of Daniel Island, defeated Cunningham and won the seat back for the GOP by fewer than 6,000 votes.
Cunningham will hold a campaign kickoff event Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Tradesman Brewing, a craft brewery on upper King Street in downtown Charleston.
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Lindsey Graham: Joe Cunningham will be ‘formidable opponent’ in SC governor’s race."
