Cunningham lost SC race for governor by double digits. What could his future hold?

Since Joe Cunningham lost the South Carolina governor’s race to Gov. Henry McMaster, the Charleston Democrat and one-time congressman has played golf with Darius Rucker, gone to the beach with family, and traveled.

It’s a far change from the better part of the last five years as Cunningham ran for Congress, served in Congress, battled to be reelected and, then in 2022, ran for the governor’s office.

Since Nov. 9, when Cunningham’s run for governor ended in a double-digit loss, Cunningham says he’s taken some extended time off.

“I’m spending a lot of time with (son) Boone, spending time with my family and just enjoying stepping back into private life,” Cunningham told The State newspaper in December. “When you run statewide, you push everything off to the side and focus solely on doing that if you want to do it right. And, so, after that ended, the blinders get taken off, and you start to meld back into that private life.”

Cunningham sent shock waves in 2018 when he flipped the Republican-held 1st District seat, previously held by Rep. Mark Sanford. Two years later, he lost the seat to former state Rep. Nancy Mace, who was reelected in 2022.

Cunningham’s run for governor was his biggest race yet — a run for statewide office in a historically Republican voting state that traditionally picks incumbents.

In November, Gov. Henry McMaster defeated Cunningham by more than 17 points. Cunningham was unable to overcome a large fundraising disadvantage and a governor with a high approval rating.

Cunningham is now faced with a question other politicians have asked themselves: What do I do next?

What’s next?

Cunningham, who worked as an engineer and attorney before entering public service, says he may not run for elected office again, at least in the near future, but it doesn’t mean he’ll stay out of the public eye for good.

His professional background includes construction litigation and personal injury litigation, and he spent one term in Congress. The experiences give him a variety of options, he said. Cunningham declined to disclose specific options or opportunities that he has, but said different law firms have reached out to him.

“I’ve got some options,” Cunningham said. “I think all of us want to be doing something where our passion meets our talents. There are a lot of things that I’m passionate about, and moving South Carolina forward is one of them. I’m not looking to step back into the shadows. I’m still going to be vocal about the issues I’m passionate about, but also earning a living in the process for my family.”

As far as running for public office again, Cunningham says he’s not ruling it out.

“I’m not going to say I will never run for anything again,” Cunningham said before the holidays. “I don’t think that my years of service at the ripe age of 40 are completely behind me. But right now I’m focusing on earning a living and spending more time with my family.”

Others say it’s too early to make a prediction for Cunningham’s next moves.

“I think being a Democrat in South Carolina has always been hard,” state Rep. Spencer Wetmore, D-Charleston, said. “My hat goes off to him for putting a new message out there. He took a risk. Obviously it didn’t pay off. He tried something new. I think that’s to be applauded. But it’s way too early to speculate on anyone’s paths forward in what is obviously a tough state.”

State Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, said he hopes Cunningham stays engaged with public issues after taking time away.

“Joe is talented and hard working and he’s got a lot to offer,” Stavrinakis said. “I hope he won’t write off public service in the future.”

State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston, who backed state Sen. Mia McLeod’s campaign against Cunningham in the primary, said if the former congressman decides to jump back into the public realm, he should do so only after some time away. Kimpson said he considers Cunningham a friend.

“Joe Cunningham is a very talented politician, statesman and lawyer,” Kimpson said. “Obviously, after losing two elections back to back, prior to offering himself again he may want to reflect on some of the lessons learned from the last two campaigns.”

Kimpson wouldn’t speculate on what office Cunningham should consider, but said he is popular in the Lowcountry. In November, Cunningham received 55% of the vote in Charleston County.

“I would not encourage him to rule out a local election,” Kimpson said.

South Carolina Democrats says another statewide election may not be best for Cunningham.

“I think at some point the Democratic Party needs to find candidates that can excite and those who have had their opportunities need to let others try,” House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, said. “At some point we can’t recycle. If you come close, that’s one thing. If you don’t come close we need to focus our efforts on someone who can.”

What Cunningham says needs to change for Democrats

Cunningham said he doesn’t regret any policy positions he took during his campaign.

His run for governor included calls for legalizing marijuana and sports betting, working toward eliminating the state income tax and an age limit for people to hold office.

The age limit proposal caused friction within his party. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, a Democrat, endorsed McMaster during the race, and South Carolina’s only Democratic congressional member Jim Clyburn, who appeared with the governor about month before the election, said Cunningham needed to “grow up.”

“These are things that garner more support than not,” Cunningham said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with these issues. There are some institutional challenges for Democrats in South Carolina where the deck is stacked against them.”

In order for Democrats to be successful in South Carolina, Cunningham says they need to overcome hurdles of legislative gerrymandering and straight-ticket voting, which can impact potential candidate’s decisions to run.

Cunningham called straight-ticket voting “state-sponsored partisanship.” It gives voters the option to punch a single party at the top of the ballot and vote for the party’s nominee in each race. Because of straight-ticket voting and districts not drawn to be competitive, Democrats didn’t field a candidate in 56 out of 124 state House races and four statewide races, Cunningham said.

“Gerrymandering may not directly impact the statewide (races),: he said. “But when you hone in on these districts, whether they be congressional or legislatively, and people fail to show up because they feel their vote doesn’t matter for their particular representative or their particular district, well, of course that spills over and has a statewide effect.”

Cunningham, South Carolina Democratic Party leadership and operatives agree that if the party wants to improve its chances in future elections, they need to improve outreach and engage more regularly with voters in both rural and suburban areas as well as groups who have been traditional supporters of Democrats.

In South Carolina, where Black voters have been core supporters of the Democratic Party, non-white voter participation dropped in 2022, compared to the 2018 election.

“Democrats need to build a more modern professional infrastructure in the state, too,” Cunningham said. “That type of operation costs money, and it costs money to build and operate. That’s what the state party needs to focus on. We’re not going to get to the point of winning, unless we’re able to communicate with voters year-round.”

Cunningham’s double-digit loss follows other Democrats who have struggled to win in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 2006.

In 2020, Jaime Harrison, now chairman of the Democratic National Committee, failed to unseat U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in a race that Harrison raised more than $130 million for. Former state Rep. James Smith lost to McMaster by 8 points in 2018, and Vincent Sheheen had two unsuccessful runs for governor, losing to Nikki Haley by 4.5 points in 2010 and by 14.5 points in 2014.

“Running this race, people constantly reminded me of Jaime’s race, they reminded me of James Smith’s race and even reminded me of Vincent’s race,” Cunningham said. “All of these things follow candidates around, and my race will probably follow other future candidates around.”