COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joe Cunningham made national headlines when he suggested an end to the “geriatric oligarchy” in political office and said on national television that President Joe Biden should step aside in 2024 and let someone younger run.
But the remarks could cost him any in-person campaign help for his Democratic governor run from two of the party’s biggest names: Biden, 79, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, 82, the state’s highest-ranking Democrat considered a party kingmaker.
Cunningham, 40, in June called for older politicians to make way for a new generation, suggesting there should be a 72-year-old age limit for anyone who wants to hold elected office similar to the state’s cutoff for judges. Cunningham has used the remark to attack Gov. Henry McMaster’s long tenure in South Carolina politics, pointing to the poor conditions of the state’s roads and schools and high crime rates.
Some political observers said the suggestion could be part of an overall campaign strategy to motivate younger voters to head out to the polls in November.
The White House declined to comment whether Biden would help Cunningham’s campaign for governor against McMaster, 75, who is seeking a second term.
Biden, coincidentally, is in South Carolina this week, spending his vacation in Kiawah Island, a regular spot for the first family. The White House has not released details of the president’s schedule while in the Palmetto State.
Clyburn’s campaign said it was not aware of any requests from Cunningham’s campaign to help.
Clyburn’s campaign manager Walter Reed told The State that “the congressman only gets involved in campaigns that request his help.”
“Joe has deep respect for the president and Majority Whip Clyburn. At the moment there are no planned campaign events together,” Heaven Hale, Cunningham’s campaign spokeswoman, told The State by email.
Democratic strategists, however, expressed skepticism that holding a campaign-style event with Biden in the state — either this week or anytime before November’s election — would be politically wise, either for the South Carolina Democrat or the president himself.
An April Winthrop Poll showed Biden with a 32% approval rating in South Carolina. The same poll found that former President Donald Trump held a 53% favorable rating in the reliably Republican state.
Biden and Clyburn both campaigned in 2018 for Democratic nominee James Smith, who lost to McMaster by 8 percentage points, a better performance than other Democrats running in recent statewide elections.
“For all parties involved, this makes absolutely zero sense,” said a national Democratic strategist, granted anonymity to speak candidly about party strategy. “Joe Cunningham is running a strong race in a tough state for Democrats, and he’s doing everything he can on his own.”
The president, the source added, also deserves some “well-earned relaxation” after a string of legislative victories on Capitol Hill.
Phil Bailey, who previously was the caucus director for the Senate Democrats and does nonpartisan work for Push Digital strategy firm, said Biden’s low approval rating in South Carolina can also be an opportunity for Cunningham to run a nontraditional campaign.
“It’s no longer all politics is local; it’s all politics is national,” Bailey said. “It’s now an opportunity to put some contrast between Joe Cunningham and Joe Biden.”
Thirty-nine percent of registered voters in South Carolina are between the ages of 18 and 44 years old, according to the State Election Commission.
“You’re looking at going for younger voters,” Bailey said. “Not just college-aged voters, but voters 18-45 are just a good audience for Joe Cunningham, and his message of age limits has a potential of great appeal for that crowd.”
The Cunningham campaign, and the candidate himself, have aimed to portray the one-term 1st District congressman as more hip than his challenger by introducing him to voters at breweries, showing him going on sling-shot rides in Myrtle Beach and attending rock concerts. Cunningham also uses the social media video app Tik-Tok to reach voters, having amassed 57,000 followers.
“This race is between new ideas versus no ideas,” Hale said. “Joe is being supported by Democrats and Republicans across the state for his positions to eliminate the state income tax, protect women’s freedoms, implement term limits and age limits on politicians, and legalize marijuana and sports betting and use the revenue to raise teacher pay and fix our roads.”
But Cunningham’s efforts to show age does matter in politics has rubbed his former Capitol colleague the wrong way.
Clyburn, whose endorsement of Biden ahead of the state’s Democratic presidential primary is largely credited with pushing Biden to the White House, in June responded to Cunningam’s age-limit proposal by saying “Joe needs to grow up.”
“As the longest-serving member in our congressional delegation, of course Congressman Clyburn is an asset to reaching parts of our electorate,” Cunningham’s campaign said.
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(McClatchy DC Reporter Alex Roarty contributed to this article.)
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