Former Congressman and current Democratic candidate for Governor Joe Cunningham today renewed his call for an end to the state holiday known as Confederate Memorial Day and replace it with Election Day. Cunningham first proposed removing Confederate Memorial Day in 2021, shortly after launching his gubernatorial campaign.
The state of South Carolina has officially observed Confederate Memorial Day since 2000, when the legislature added it to the state calendar as a compromise after we became the last state in the country to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Cunningham said he would fight to end the observance of Confederate Memorial Day, replacing it as a state holiday with Election Day.
“This is another example of how our state continues to live in the past,” Cunningham said. “It's embarrassing. When I'm governor, we're going to end Confederate Memorial Day and make Election Day a state holiday instead.”
