On Sunday, elected MP Nancy Mace will make history as the first Republican woman to take office in the South Carolina Congress.
The working single mother has taken advantage of this since narrowly defeating Democratic deputy Joe Cunningham for the first seat in the South Carolina congressional district in November. Mace has been circulating with almost daily television interviews and headlines that identify her as part of a new brand of Republican politicians in Washington, DC
But as Mace’s profile rises in Washington, that raises the question of what Cunningham’s political future holds.
The single-term politician made history in 2018 when he shook a district in South Carolina that was controlled by the Republican Party for 40 years. But in the era of President Donald Trump, he was unable to repeat the victory two years later.
In an exclusive interview with the Post and Courier this week, Cunningham said he wants to stay in South Carolina and hopes to serve the public in some way.
“I saw some of my colleagues announce that they will be running soon after suffering,” said Cunningham. “It is important to reflect a little. But I don’t think my time in South Carolina’s service is over. This defeat didn’t break my spirit.”
This is after speculation that the former congressman is potentially eyeing the governor’s mansion in 2022. In early December, the web domain cunninghamforgovernor.com was registered in South Carolina.
Tyler Jones, Cunningham’s political strategist, declined to confirm or deny whether the domain was connected to them, but said “it appears to have been registered privately”.
Cunningham would likely face an uphill battle to win a state seat as a Democrat, especially in a red state that gave Senator Lindsey Graham an overwhelming electoral victory in the most expensive political race in history against challenger Jaime Harrison.
But Cunningham said he cares about South Carolina. He mentioned that he had been approached by people close to President-elect Joe Biden to assess his interest in potentially serving in the new government.
But Cunningham said it was never really on his radar. He is a staunch South Carolina loyal and wants to invest in the state of Palmetto.
“Many people offered me support or asked about some places where I could land,” he said. “But I love Charleston. It’s hard to uproot here. For some people in other cities, maybe DC is a step up, but for me it’s a big step down from here.”
The pop-top heard ‘all over the world
In the months following his loss, Cunningham took some time to relax and reflect on what he learned in Washington.
During the meeting at Jones’s Johns Island offices, Cunningham opened a beer from Mount Pleasant-based Westbrook Brewing Co., put his feet on a coffee table and leaned back on the couch.
It was a landmark moment for the politician whose support for craft breweries was a major point of discussion, and which shows the authenticity of his decision to open a beer on the floor of the Chamber at the beginning of last month, during his farewell speech.
Alcohol is not allowed on the House floor, and Cunningham said he was shouted at by a Congress official because of the change. It was a small price to pay for going out in style.
But Jones said the move was not a trick. It was literally a last-minute move that Cunningham thought about the day of the speech.
The Democratic congressman ran to a nearby liquor store, bought a six pack and put one in his pocket. He handed the remaining five to the cashier and wished them a Merry Christmas.
During his speech, he called on the rhetoric of the Republican Party and the hypocrisy of DC that he considered inappropriate for politicians. Then he lifted his beer and opened the lid.
The moment went viral and was covered by all media, from Fox News and Newsmax to CNN and MSNBC. As Jones and Cunningham see it, everyone heard these words of wisdom.
And in an era of hyperpartisanship, name calling and division, Cunningham was happy to cut the noise.
“Bipartisanship doesn’t go out of style and it doesn’t go out of style,” said Cunningham. “Regardless of whether you can survive, it is the right thing to do. It is the opposing force that is fighting extremes on both sides.”
In his last months in office, he targeted Trump’s negotiations with Congress over stimulus payments related to COVID-19. Notably, he also targeted Governor Henry McMaster for not instituting a mask mandate across the state.
“Something needs to be done about it. Members of his own party are not holding him accountable,” said Cunningham. “South Carolina deserves better leadership than that.”
I can’t play favorites
Mace is already establishing himself as a different kind of Republican.
Although Trump supported Mace’s candidacy through tweets, phone calls to supporters and speeches, she is not supporting the Republican Party’s attempts to cancel certification of Biden’s election results in its first week in Washington.
Some colleagues from the Republican Party of the South Carolina delegation – Reps. Jeff Duncan, Ralph Norman and Joe Wilson – have strongly opposed the results of the Electoral College. Mace, however, sees this differently.
“I’m not going to vote with any of those people,” said Mace last week. “I’m not going to vote to annul the results of the Electoral College because I don’t believe that Congress knows more than voters or better than states.”
In addition, she adopted an apparently more bipartisan tone when it comes to her messages. When Cunningham opened a beer, she tweeted a video of herself doing the same and applauded her civilized feelings.
While many Republican politicians are criticizing the use of masks, she accepted and said that people should be free to choose.
His new team is incredibly diverse, including a member who has organized efforts to legalize marijuana and help loosen regulations on marijuana-related businesses. Mace said he supports efforts to legalize the drug, both in medical and recreational terms.
But, notably, Mace is in the minority in the Chamber. With the Senate’s future in the air, that means it could face potential headwinds with a Democratic-controlled Executive and Legislature.
Therefore, Mace said he is focusing on how he can best serve voters in his district.
She maintained many Cunningham employees and both offices in Mount Pleasant and Beaufort to keep constituent services stable. Mace also updated the software used to handle the case work and said he should speed up the time it takes to help voters in the 1st district.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mace was only allowed one guest to his oath ceremony on Sunday. As a mother of two, she knew she couldn’t have favorites. So she decided to forgo having a guest.
“No child is more important than the other,” said Mace. “But I will have them with me.”
Her 11-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son are likely to be watching their mother take an oath at C-SPAN while sitting in her DC office.
Mace said she is ready to work and is eager to discover her assignments on the committee.
“I am very excited and humble about the work and the task ahead,” said Mace. “When I first landed at Reagan National, I cried. I am very honored.”
