In a congressional district drawn specifically to virtually assure Republican dominance, Joe Cunningham concocted the perfect recipe for victory, combining his youth, his message of Lowcountry over party affiliation, his opposition to drilling for oil off the Carolina coast and his disdain for special-interest groups to become the first Democrat to represent South Carolinaās 1st District since Mendel Davis left office in January 1981.
It certainly didnāt hurt that when voters went to the polls Nov. 6 to choose between Cunningham and former State Rep. Katie Arrington, they were well aware that many local elected officials who usually vote Republican were in the Democratās corner. His supporters included Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll; Sullivanās Island Mayor Pat OāNeil and Council Member Rita Langley; Mount Pleasant Councilman Jim Owens; and Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin.

āThose endorsements were highly important,ā said Cunningham, a 36-year-old attorney who also has a degree in ocean engineering. āThey sent a signal that we can work with others and reach across the aisle. We had cultivated our message around the notion that we can all work together to focus on issues that matter the most in the Lowcountry.ā
He added that he would continue to work with local officials on legislation that affects coastal South Carolina because āthey have their finger on the pulse of whatās going on and that type of information is invaluable.ā He also pointed out that he wouldnāt hold a grudge against those who didnāt support him.
āWhether a mayor supported me or not, they all will have a seat at the table,ā he said, a not-so-veiled reference to a phone call between Arrington and Carroll on Oct. 11, after the Isle of Palms mayor endorsed Cunningham. Though Carroll said he never thought to record a phone call in his life, he recorded his conversation with Arrington because āI figured she would be very angry.ā
During the nine-minute, 34-second call, Arrington told Carroll: āThis is the way it works in Washington. Youāve taken Isle of Palms off the seat at the table. ⦠I thought you were a Republican.ā Carroll said Cunningham reached out to him the day after the June 12 Republican primary, when Arrington defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford.
āWe are more alike than you think,ā Cunningham told Carroll, and the IOP mayor apparently agreed, especially in view of the Democratic candidateās staunch opposition to drilling off the South Carolina coast.

āThe coast is everything. Itās a $19-billion industry,ā said Carroll. āAnd Katie flip-flopped on the issue.ā
Carroll, Langley, Owens and OāNeil agreed with Cunninghamās stance on drilling, and they also cited Arringtonās vote against permitting local communities to ban the use of plastics. Possibly just as important, they were impressed by Cunninghamās positive approach during the election cycle.
āI canāt stand negative campaigning,ā Carroll said, while Owens added that āshe kept slinging mud. It took a toll on me and others. Her style turned me off.ā
āI chose by looking at how the election would benefit my town, my community and my district,ā the Mount Pleasant Councilman added. āThe decision was pretty easy. He put the process above party. He was the responsible adult. Thatās democracy.ā
Langley, a founding member of Donāt Drill Lowcountry, described Cunningham with three words: civility, integrity and truth.

āHeās just what we need to represent the Lowcountry. Heās an environmentalist, and heās smart. I canāt vote for someone just because sheās a woman,ā Langley commented.
OāNeil, meanwhile, who pointed out that he has voted both for Democrats and Republicans in the past, referred to Cunningham as āa breath of fresh air.ā He said he thought Arringtonās position was that her job was to support President Trump.
āJoe seemed to understand that his job is to represent the people of this district in Washington. He understands that he needs to be our lobbyist in Washington,ā said the Sullivanās Island mayor, citing issues that need attention in the Lowcountry, among them flooding, changing weather patterns, highways, bridges and mass transit.
āHe was far and away the best choice,ā OāNeil added.
According to Cunningham, the road to victory was not an easy one, especially in view of the fact that the district has been gerrymandered to all but assure that it will belong to the Republicans.
āWe had a strong, clear message, and we didnāt allow Washington to create our narrative,ā he said.

He added that he will honor his early campaign pledge not to vote for Californian Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House, pointing out that both sides, Democrats and Republicans, need new leadership in Washington if Congress and the president are to deal with the issues that plague the Lowcountry and the nation, including infrastructure and health care
āIāve sent a message that Iām willing to stand up to the leaders of both parties in order to stand up for the people of the Lowcountry,ā he said. āWe ran our campaign on individual donors, without any PAC money, so Iām only accountable to the people of the 1st Congressional District. Iām not bought and paid for.ā
Cunningham, who considers himself to be a moderate Democrat, said the media gives lots of play to the extreme right Republicans and extreme left Democrats, even though āmost of us in this district and in this country are somewhere in the middle.ā
āA lot of us just want pragmatic solutions. For instance, the Affordable Care Act wasnāt perfect, but I think we should craft a bill with bipartisan support,ā he remarked.
Cunningham said one problem in Washington might be that too many people have served in Congress for too long. He promised that if the people of the 1st District elect him twice more, heāll retire from the House after three terms.
āI have a 9-month-old son. Itās not my intention to live in Washington while he grows up,ā Cunningham said.
By Brian Sherman
The Isle is Palms mayor sold all republicans out on IOP. I have lived here for 28 years . Jimmy Carroll is a Democrat and has been dishonest and misrepresented himself ..Shame on me for believing him and voting for him. You can be sure I wonāt do it again .
Sheila Bailey