Cunningham, a former ocean engineer turned lawyer, defeated Republican state Rep. Katie Arrington. The seat opened up this year after Arrington toppled Rep. Mark Sanford, an outspoken Trump critic and member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, in the GOP primary.

While Trump carried the Charleston-area district by about 12 points in 2016, Arrington – who ran on a pro-Trump platform – had failed to pull away from Cunningham in the general election.