In the biggest political upset of the night, a Democrat has won South Carolina’s coastal 1st District for the first time in 40 years.
In Mark Sanford’s congressional district, political newcomer Joe Cunningham defeated GOP state Rep. Katie Arrington, flipping from red to blue a district that Republican PresidentTrump won by 13 points just two years ago.
Arrington defeated Sanford in the June primary, which itself was a stunning upset.
The 36-year-old Charleston attorney’s victory gives South Carolina two Democrats in Congress for the first time since 2010.
Cunningham’s staunch opposition to drilling off the Atlantic Coast earned him endorsements from several Republican mayors in the Lowcountry. He out-fundraised Arrington roughly 2 to 1, according to their most recent filings.
Cunningham positioned himself as a moderate who would work across party lines and keep his politics civil.
