Political newcomer Joe Cunningham has been elected to South Carolina’s First Congressional District seat, upsetting Summerville legislator Katie Arrington in one of the state’s most talked about races of the midterm elections.
“Tonight we made history!” Cunningham tweeted early Wednesday morning.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Cunningham received 50.56 percent of the vote; Arrington secured 49.26 percent, according to reports.
During a press conference Wednesday morning at Staybridge Suites, the site of Arrington’s Election Night viewing party, she addressed the media for the first time since her loss. After thanking God and all her supporters, she offered a brief, spirited message.
“How blessed am I to have been able to walk...and be your voice,” she said.
Arrington gives her concession speech.
Still in her first term in the S.C. Legislature, Arrington won voters’ approval in Dorchester and Berkeley counties. The district also contains Colleton, Charleston and Beaufort counties.
During her speech, Arrington also confirmed she had called Cunningham to concede, and placed blame for her defeat on Mark Sanford, who currently fills the U.S. House District 1 seat. Arrington filled local and national headlines when she triumphed over Sanford in June’s historic GOP primary.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the First Congressional District, last night, lost the conservative agenda,” she said. “We lost it because we had money coming from around the nation into this district. We lost because Mark Sanford could not understand that this was about the conservative movement, and not (about) him.”
Arrington even addressed Sanford directly, urging him to request back donations.
“Mark Sanford, to all of your donors, I ask you this morning, to request their donation back, if they’re truly conservatives, to your wonderful chest that you’ve kept so proud and for so long,” she said.
Arrington additionally hinted at her political future by telling the crowd “2020 is just a few years away,” she still feels strong about her platform and is not giving up.
“I’m not going anywhere. This is just a break in time,” she said. “We have a lot to do. So don’t be sad today. Pray for everyone, pray for the nation.”
In closing, Arrington wished “good luck” to Cunningham.
“Good luck, Mr. Cunningham, God bless the United States, God bless South Carolina, and y’all have a great day – because it is a great day in South Carolina,” she said.
A Charleston-based lawyer and small business owner, Cunningham flipped the state’s historically red seat. He lives in Mt. Pleasant with his wife Amanda and 8-month-old son Boone.
The heated race was called around 2 a.m., hours after the polls closed, due to late reporting at some precincts in the district.
Dorchester and Berkeley counties will certify all its results at 10 a.m. Friday; the state will certify all results at 10 a.m. on Nov. 14.
