According to a person familiar with his plans, Graham plans to spend his time on the golf course with Trump – preferably convincing the former president that regaining a majority in Congress for Republicans will help strengthen his own presidential legacy. That person said Graham wants to be “constructive”, urging Trump to use his influence for the good of the party.
A strong Trump ally, Graham said in recent weeks that he is concerned about how the rivalry between Trump and McConnell will affect Republicans’ chances in next year’s midterm elections.
“They are now in each other’s throats,” Graham told Fox News this week. “I’m more concerned with 2022 than ever. I don’t want to eat our own.”
Like McConnell, Graham has the next election at the top of his agenda. But while McConnell made a conscious decision to ignore Trump and wants the party to go beyond the former president twice impeachment, Graham is trying to involve Trump to help the party’s chances.
“President Trump is the most important Republican in the party,” Graham told Fox. “If Mitch McConnell doesn’t understand that, he’s missing out on a lot.”
Not every Republican agrees with Graham. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchison, a former congressman, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Thursday that Graham is wrong to suggest that Trump is essential to the party’s future success.
“He certainly has many followers in our party, but he cannot define us for the future,” said Hutchison. “We have to support Trump supporters. They are a big part of our Republican base and we have to identify with the issues that concern them. But it doesn’t have to be defined by one person.”
However, Trump remains the figure of the GOP whose words and actions are sure to draw more attention. And in his long statement on Tuesday attacking McConnell, Trump included a veiled threat to support his own candidates in the Republican primaries.
“Where necessary and appropriate, I will support the main rivals who advocate Making America Great Again and our America First policy,” said Trump.
That possibility worries many Republicans, especially those who fear that the next season of the Republican primaries may deprive them of any chance of winning the Senate back. The concern is that more radical candidates, driven by Trump, win the primaries, but then prove unable to win the general election against the Democrats. This is particularly worrying in undecided states.
A problematic example for these Republicans is Arizona Republican Party President Kelli Ward, one of Trump’s favorites. But if she ran for Senate with Trump’s endorsement, few think she could defeat Democrat Mark Kelly, who is ending John McCain’s term. To keep his spot, Kelly will have to run in 2022 for a full six-year term.
And there is an absolute panic among national party leaders that, in Georgia, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will run against former Republican senator David Perdue for the Senate seat. The appointment of Greene, who has publicly defended conspiracy theories in the past, may diminish the Republican Party’s chances of defeating Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock.
Republican Party sources say that convincing Trump to stand aside in these two disputes, or even endorse a candidate like Perdue, would be a big help.
Then, there is the question of whether Trump’s influence on the GOP is preventing strong candidates from entering the scene.
Arizona’s governor Doug Ducey’s term ends after 2022, for example, and many in the party think he has the best chance of defeating Kelly for the Senate seat. But Trump turned on Ducey after the governor refused to agree with his lies about the election and certified Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona.
Ducey told CNN last month that he is not running for the Senate, but some believe he may change his mind if Trump promises to be quiet.
And in New Hampshire, Republicans hope to lure former Senator Kelly Ayotte back for another campaign. But she is another person who has clashed with Trump.
Graham may be one of the few people who can persuade Trump. The South Carolina Republican has just been re-elected for another six-year term in the Senate and has built credibility with the former president, who enjoys his friendly competition on the golf course. But Graham – like most who find the fickle ex-president – has had mixed success in reaching him.