LEXINGTON — There’s no mistaking Lindsey Graham’s loyalties or liabilities as he seeks a second term in the U.S. Senate.
The 52-year-old Republican makes it clear that his future and that of Republican presidential candidate John McCain are tightly interwoven.
“My re-election, I think, will benefit South Carolina because if he gets to be president, South Carolina’s interests will have a receptive audience due to our relationship,” Graham said in a recent interview. “I want to help him do the hard things.”
McCain recently made his first stop in the state since winning South Carolina’s January primary, and Graham pumped his fists in a cheer at a news conference when McCain said he’ll campaign again here later in the year. The next morning, over a grits, bacon and pancakes campaign breakfast, he talked about how he and McCain don’t toe the Grand Old Party line on immigration, Social Security, the war in Iraq or how judges are confirmed.
“John has risked his political career at least four times in the last two years that I can remember and I’ve got the scars to prove it,” Graham said. He’s been McCain’s wing man, noting he was in the room with McCain and President Bush when the president was convinced to add troops in Iraq while other Republicans “were running to the exit like the theater was on fire” and “coming up with one goofy idea after another” to get out of Iraq.
The Iraq surge came as the duo found a wave of opposition for their brokered deals with Democrats on an immigration law overhaul. At the state GOP convention a year ago, the crowd booed and shouted “No” at Graham’s explanations of the bill, which would have provided a path to citizenship.
Graham, a lawyer and Air Force Reserve colonel who still works a room like a small restaurant owner, became the butt of criticism from conservatives. Rush Limbaugh called the immigration bill “Grahamnesty.”
The issue has faded, but just barely. Opponent Buddy Witherspoon, who is challenging Graham in the June 10 primary, has seized on it in campaign ads and he and others have questioned whether Graham is conservative enough to represent the state’s Republicans.
“He gets nicked for that,” said College of Charleston political scientist Bill Moore. But Moore said he doesn’t consider Witherspoon a serious challenger. Graham “has the money and the name recognition to go along with it,” he said.
But Graham also takes knocks for appearing too at home with Democrats. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton praised him during her presidential campaign for working across party lines. While that could be a liability for Graham, he dismisses that, saying bipartisanship paid off in a deal brokered by the “Gang of 14” Democrats and Republicans that removed roadblocks to Supreme Court and other judicial nominees. And Clinton, he noted, was the first to sign onto legislation that extended regular health benefits to National Guard members.
“You know, the Guard and Reserve members could care less whether it’s a Democrat or Republican. They just need the help,” Graham said.
As of last quarter’s filing, Graham had $4.8 million on hand compared with $258,000 for Witherspoon, a retired orthodontist and former Republican National Committee member.
“I’m not worried about him,” said Graham, who says he’s concentrating on his own campaign. Meanwhile, he’s spending some of his money on television ads that touch on his anti-abortion stance, military record and fight against taxes.
Meanwhile, Graham’s independent streak and knack for having the background on issues of the day has made him a frequent TV news show guest. He recently said he’s going to focus on his “record for delivering for my state, being outspoken, being a player in Washington. Being somebody who can get things done.”
Graham always has been driven, say those who know him. His parents — who ran a liquor store, pool hall and restaurant in Central — died 15 months apart when he was in college at the University of South Carolina. He adopted younger sister Darline when she was 13.
“Even as a child I knew that he would probably be successful and go places. He always had that drive about him. He always had a plan and a goal,” said Darline Graham, now 43.
Lindsey Graham said he credits his parents with teaching him the campaign style that propels him from handshake to handshake during political gatherings as he seeks a second term.
“When people walked in, they had to feel like they were at home — especially in a small town, because you live off of repeat business,” he said.