Joe Cunningham has chosen a civil litigator who flew combat missions in Iraq to be his running mate. Cunningham is trying to become South Carolina’s first Democratic governor in 20 years.
He previewed his pick of Tally Parham Casey ahead of a formal announcement Monday in her hometown of Greenville. Cunningham told The Associated Press that Casey's military service, legal savvy and the fact that she's a woman make her the right fit.
Casey was South Carolina’s first female fighter pilot, serving three combat tours over Iraq, and has been an attorney for more than two decades. Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette filed for reelection last week.
Following Cunningham's announcement, Governor Henry McMaster released a statement saying the pick will have minimal impact in the campaign due to Cunningham's own reputation.
In his full statement, McMaster said "While we appreciate Ms. Casey’s service to our nation and welcome her to the race, Joe Cunningham’s choice of running mate will have far less of an impact on the campaign than his record as left-wing, Joe-Biden Democrat who has spent more time chasing Tik-Tok followers than working to improve the lives of South Carolinians.
In contrast, Governor McMaster and Lt. Governor Evette have stood up to Joe Biden’s policies that have caused exploding inflation and record gas prices, implemented the largest tax-cut in South Carolina history, and kept our state moving through a generational pandemic so that more South Carolinians are working today than were in February of 2020."
