Longtime South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham suddenly finds himself in the race of his life. Graham has undergone the ultimate political transformation in the last four years, once calling Donald Trump a ‘nut job’ and ‘unfit for office.’ Now he’s one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters. Will it cost him? It’s an eternity until Election Day, but here are some headlines that should have Graham nervous.
The Cook Political Report has moved the race from “Safe Republican” to “Likely Republican.”
The Hill reports one of Graham’s biggest financial backers has flipped to support Democrat Jaime Harrison, Graham’s opponent.
Harrison outraised Graham in the first quarter, $7.36 million to $5.6 million.
Who is Jaime Harrison? Cook writes:
“Harrison has a unique story to be able to reach both black voters and potentially peel off former Graham voters, especially white college-educated women that were Republicans’ Achilles heel in 2018. That combination can be targeted with his money and could make this race a closer one than the state’s seen in over 20 years.
“Born to a single mother in impoverished Orangeburg, Harrison was raised by his grandparents. He went on to attend Yale University and Georgetown Law School. In between those two, he taught at his old high school and worked with an organization to help low-income students attend college.
Polling in the state has shown Harrison within striking distance of Graham. Can he pull of a political miracle? The New Republic writes:
“Harrison’s national fundraising pitch stresses Graham’s sycophancy to the president. But if Harrison is going to win in November, he will need to do more than wag his finger at Graham for becoming Trump’s golfing buddy. He’ll have to ramp up voter turnout and inspire an electoral uprising on a scale not seen in this state since Reconstruction.“
