Joe Cunningham, a nominee for governor of South Carolina, today released the first campaign ad of the general election. The ad, called “Geriatric Oligarchy,” criticizes national and state leadership and calls for term limits and age limits on politicians. You can watch the ad below.
In the ad, Cunningham compares politicians to other career fields that have mandatory retirement ages, such as airline pilots, federal law enforcement officers, and South Carolina state judges.
Cunningham specifically takes aim at his opponent, Governor Henry McMaster, who has been in politics for over 40 years.
“And where has that gotten us?” Cunningham asks in the ad. “We are near the bottom in schools and teacher pay, we are dead last in roads, and crime is the highest it's ever been….The folks who are making a career out of politics are making a mess of our country. That's why it's time to put term limits and age limits on politicians, to bring new blood and new ideas to the table.”
In the ad, Cunningham shares his policy proposals, including legalizing marijuana and sports betting, investing in clean energy jobs, and moving towards eliminating the state income tax. Cunningham also calls for bipartisanship and civility.
“We have to stop seeing each other as enemies and start seeing each other as people again,” he said. “Our campaign is not about Democrat versus Republican or about left versus right. It's about the past versus the future. It's about new ideas versus no ideas.”
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