MORNING NEWSBREAK | The race for the next member of Congress to represent the First Congressional District heated up Wednesday as one Democratic candidate formally announced his bid and the Republican incumbent called for a GOP challenger to drop out.
Six years ago, local lawyer Joe Cunningham flipped the district that stretches from Charleston to Hilton from Republican to Democratic when there was an open seat. But two years later, Republican Nancy Mace of Isle of Palms reflipped it to GOP control by a narrow margin. At the time, the district was considered the most competitive in the country. But by 2022, a GOP-led gerrymander of the district gave Mace a more secure cushion.
On Wednesday, Mount Pleasant Democratic candidate Mac Deford launched his official bid, declaring he was already winning over independents and Republicans and that the Lowcountry is ready to reject former President Donald Trump and those he supports, such as Mace. Deford reminded his supporters that the First District was the only district in the Palmetto State that Trump did not win in this year’s Feb. 24 GOP presidential primary.
This is Deford’s first time running for political office. He is currently an attorney based in Mount Pleasant, but he said he is putting his career on hold to focus on his campaign. He will face Mount Pleasant businessman Michael B. Moore, who formally announced his campaign last week, in a June 11 Democratic primary.
Meanwhile Mace, after receiving Trump’s endorsement, is urging a leading GOP rival, former gubernatorial candidate Catherine Templeton, to drop out of the race in a cross-campaign message that was immediately rejected. Templeton’s campaign manager quickly rebuffed Mace’s message as a political stunt to garner attention.
Filing for state and federal offices opens March 16.
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- To get dozens of South Carolina news stories every business day, contact the folks at SC Clips.
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