"We need common sense, not chaos. We have to put people over politics. And country before party.” - Joe Cunningham
South Carolina's first Congressional district has been strongly Republican since 1981. Currently held by former Governor Mark Sanford, and before him by current Senator Tim Scott, our coastal district has long had leaders that oppose protecting our environment, vote against much-needed infrastructure funding, and enable the weakening of our democracy and our voting rights.
Not anymore. Mark Sanford just lost his primary to a Trump-loving, pro-offshore drilling, anti-jobs candidate who aspires to be "the Kellyanne Conway of Congress" (her words!). Moderate Republicans and policy-minded conservatives throughout the district are asking themselves how we got here. And Democrats across the state are realizing that now is the time to step up and give the Lowcountry the smart leadership it deserves.
Joe Cunningham is a construction attorney, former ocean engineer, first-time candidate, and brand-new father. Having grown up in a large family that always emphasized the power of public service and the need to correct injustice, running for office in his home district was the obvious choice. As the father of a newborn son, he sees that the rising tide of Trumpism isn't just sad and disgusting, it's a threat to his son's future and the prosperity of the district where he'll live. And with his scientific background and legal education, he'll be able to craft smart, objective policy that benefits the South Carolina coast economically, environmentally, and politically. But Joe isn't looking to jump start his own political career. He sees the disconnect between politicians in Washington and their constituents back home; they can't solve our problems because they can't even see our problems. For this reason, if elected, Joe has committed to only serve three terms in Congress because he believes being a legislator should be an act of public service; not a career launchpad.
This district has the numbers to flip in November. Because our area has become popular nationwide for its beautiful coast, deep history, and thriving tourism industry, progressive newcomers from around the country have settled here for good. And a wave of a young people in politics is helping Lowcountry Democratic organizations come alive. In fact, our campaign is entirely staffed by young people - Joe is the oldest member of the campaign!
Because of these demographic changes, Democrats have the power to fight back against Donald Trump and vote out his enablers in Congress, restoring our founding values of democracy and justice to the government. While Trump's agenda hurts the Lowcountry particularly harshly - with his support for offshore drilling risking our entire tourism industry, his tariffs risking our manufacturing industry, and his spending bill cutting infrastructure funding where we need it the most - these policy positions hurt the entire country, and his chaotic, caustic leadership is undercutting our electoral integrity.
Our opponent prides herself on supporting Donald Trump on every single policy issue. She agreed with his plan to open our own coast to offshore drilling, enthusiastically supports the tariffs that are risking manufacturing jobs here at home, and even praised the President for his embarrassing press conference with Putin. Joe Cunningham is going to stand up to Trump, protecting the Lowcountry from his harmful policies and putting the nation on the right track towards becoming a healthy, robust democracy again.
Joe's donors are mostly small-dollar donors from all walks of life. We received 491 donations smaller than $250 last quarter, while our opponent received only 5. And because electoral integrity matters so much to Joe he takes no money from PACs, because he thinks that the unchecked power of big donors in our elections is corrupting and unfair. While our opponent took $40,000 from PACs last quarter, we took $0 - and still raised more than twice the amount she did.
Our campaign is supported by the people, not the PACs. Help support our campaign today, and be a part of flipping the First - and the House!
