Former South Carolina Rep. Joe Cunningham knows what it's like to win over voters in places Democrats rarely do.
In 2018, Cunningham became the first Democrat in nearly four decades to flip the state's 1st Congressional District, a coastal seat that had long been considered Republican territory. After one term in Congress, he narrowly lost his 2020 re-election bid to GOP contender Nancy Mace. He later became the Democratic nominee for governor of South Carolina in 2022, losing to incumbent Republican Governor Henry McMaster.
In his new book, Life of the Party: How Democrats Lost America's Trust — and How They Can Win It Back, Cunningham argues the party's biggest problem isn't policy — it's trust.
We spoke with Cunningham about what the 2024 election revealed, why affordability remains a defining issue for many Americans, and what Democrats must do to reconnect with voters.
Katie Couric Media: You won a congressional seat in a district that had been held by Republicans for decades. What did that experience teach you about the voters Democrats need to reach?
Joe Cunningham: The big takeaway was not speaking down to the other side or belittling them. It was about treating people with respect and finding common ground.
In my district, which ran from Charleston to Hilton Head, offshore drilling was the issue. It wasn't immigration or Social Security. My Republican opponent supported opening the waters off our coast to drilling, and we actually got Republican mayors to endorse our campaign because of that distinction. Finding issues that speak more locally rather than fitting into the national narrative benefited us tremendously.
When you're running as a Democrat, you're really running in President Trump's election whenever he's on the ballot.
How did losing your seat in 2020 change your understanding of the challenges facing the Democratic Party?
When you're running as a Democrat, you're really running in President Trump's election whenever he's on the ballot. He's such a powerful force, especially in red states.
South Carolina is one of only a handful of states with straight-ticket voting. Voters can walk in, select either Democrat or Republican at the top of the ballot, and have that choice automatically fill in every race, from president all the way down the ticket. A lot of people came out to vote for Trump, selected the straight Republican option, and never really considered anyone else.
That creates a huge challenge for down-ballot Democrats during a presidential election year, especially if you're not benefiting from the turnout. In 2020, I lost by about a point, and if you look at congressional races across the country, Republicans didn't lose a single House seat. Democrats, meanwhile, lost roughly 20.
A lot of voters felt like the Democratic Party stopped speaking to them and felt like they were being scolded.
To me, that drove home an important lesson: Even though Trump lost to Joe Biden, his coattails were enormous. Biden won the presidency, but Trump was still driving turnout and helping Republicans all the way down the ballot.
What do you think the 2024 election revealed about where the country is?
A majority of Democrats didn't want President Biden to run again, but he decided to move forward anyway. As I was running for governor in South Carolina in 2022, I heard the same message repeatedly from Democratic voters: It was time to pass the torch.
But he ran, and then the debate happened, and the rest is history. Kamala Harris was elevated without an open primary process, and that just set the Democratic Party up for failure.
Do you think Biden's decision to run again was the turning point, or had trust in the Democratic Party already been fading?
Trust had been eroding for quite some time. A lot of voters felt like the Democratic Party stopped speaking to them and felt like they were being scolded.
There's been a sense of self-righteousness building within the party. There was almost an unspoken competition over who could be the most woke. The way the Democratic Party spoke about Trump voters between 2020 and 2024 made it almost impossible to win many of those people back.
You can't speak to voters that way and expect them to show up on Election Day and support you. The Biden-Harris situation was the culmination of many trends that had already been developing.
Democrats have struggled with some key voting groups, particularly young men. What lessons should the party take away from that?
One of the biggest lessons from 2024 is that you have to show up. Trump reached audiences that many Democrats largely ignored, including through appearances on podcasts like Joe Rogan's. Harris chose not to appear on the show during the campaign and later acknowledged that she regretted the decision.
Trump also made an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, and he caught a lot of hell for it. But he showed up at an event where people didn't expect him to, and he engaged. And in 2024, he significantly increased — and in some analyses, nearly doubled — his support among Black men compared with 2020.
You argue elections are won on affordability. What's the biggest economic challenge facing Americans right now?
Housing is a big one. People aren't getting outbid by immigrants — they're getting outbid by private equity firms.
On top of that, you have all these service fees. I rent right now, and I can't just drop a check off with my landlord. They make you go through a portal, and then you've got to pay the portal fee. I call it the "silent squeeze." There are all these fees and added costs you can't opt out of, and you basically get sucked into paying.
Prescription drugs and healthcare are another major issue. Our healthcare system is abysmal.
When you look at housing, education, and healthcare, you're talking about the basic necessities of life. Those are the sectors where private equity and corporate greed have distorted the system, and they're the areas policymakers should target first if they want to bring down costs and make life more affordable.
If people don't trust the messenger, they're not going to trust the message.
What's the biggest misconception Democrats have about voters?
Democrats often think voters will follow a 10-point plan if they're shown the right article, statistic, or podcast. But over the last few years, trust has eroded across nearly every institution — not just politicians and political parties, but the media, social media, the courts, and the healthcare system. If people don't trust the messenger, they're not going to trust the message.
You have to have credibility. It's the same as anything in life: If someone is trying to earn your vote, sell you something, or earn your business, and you don't trust them, you're not going to be receptive.
Democrats also have to overcome the stigma of the party brand. In heavily Republican parts of South Carolina, Democratic candidates often avoid putting "Democrat" on their ads or billboards because they want voters to consider them before associating them with a label many already view negatively.
Despite your criticisms, are you optimistic about the future of the Democratic Party?
I am. We're going to make it through this Trump presidency, and it gives the party an opportunity to start with a blank slate. It's an opportunity for new leaders, new ideas, and a new vision.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
