Joe Cunningham, in Richburg visit, says he has ‘best chance’ to beat Gov. Henry McMaster
Joe Cunningham, the Democratic hopeful for South Carolina governor, didn’t waste time Thursday getting to know Chester County voters.
As soon as he walked in to Richburg’s country eatery, The Front Porch, he traveled around the paisley-wallpapered room, extending his hand to each voter and asking everyone’s name. Gold chandeliers dangled above him. Family portraits covered some of the red wallpaper. A waitress passed around Styrofoam cups filled with sweet tea as Cunningham chatted.
One woman stopped him: “You look like a governor,” she said, confidently.
Cunningham, who was in the rural county as part of his 46-county tour, smiled behind his mask.
“That’s the first step,” he said.
Cunningham, who announced his gubernatorial bid in April, is facing state Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Richland, and activist Gary Votour, for the Democratic nomination for governor in next year’s election. Despite the early competition, Cunningham told Chester County voters he’s the one who can unseat Gov. Henry McMaster.
“I’d submit to you that I have the best chance of beating Henry McMaster in November of 2022,” he said. “But it’s not going to be easy.”
Several in the crowd nodded their heads.
In 2018, Cunningham shocked election forecasters when he was narrowly elected to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, which had been ruled by Republicans for decades.
After one term in office, Cunningham lost his seat in 2020 to Republican Nancy Mace.
But he accomplished a lot in those two years, Cunningham told the Chester County group Thursday.
“I had two of my bills that made it through a divided Congress and got signed into law by President Trump,” he said. “Not bad for a freshman lawmaker — unprecedented, really.”
Cunningham, who regularly cited statistics throughout his speech, didn’t shy away from an obvious one: six of South Carolina’s past eight governors have been Republicans.
“I’ve won tough races before,” he said. “I won a race no one ever thought we could win. I thrive on being the underdog.”
Cunningham continually criticized McMaster, taking aim at the state’s new abortion restriction bill, which banned nearly all abortions, and its open carry bill — both signed into law this year by McMaster.
“He is the walking example of the past as somebody who’s been in politics longer than I’ve been alive,” Cunningham said. “For 40 years, he’s been in politics and where do we find ourselves in South Carolina? We find ourselves on the bottom of the list for infrastructure. Last in healthcare. Last in education. First in COVID.”
Cunningham, 39, laid out his vision, beginning with raising teacher pay and expanding Medicaid. He talked about making voting easier in South Carolina and his plan to legalize recreational and medicinal marijuana — a policy, he said, that could help Chester County.
“Chester County has the highest rate of arrests for marijuana of any county in the entire country,” he told The Herald. “We know this disproportionately impacts communities of color and as I mentioned, we’re in the middle of a labor shortage and a lot of these people can’t get jobs ... I’d change that.”
Cunningham wasn’t able to stay at The Front Porch for lunch. He had two events in Lancaster County, but before he left, he asked the group: “What’s the best thing here?”
“The baked chicken,” one woman shouted.
“Well their fried chicken is good, too,” a woman added.
“I like the open-faced roast beef sandwich,” another woman said.
He laughed.
“I have to stay awake for the rest of the day though,” Cunningham said as he walked out the door.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 3:51 PM.
