COLOMBIA, SC – Senator Lindsey Graham and his Democratic opponent are expected to meet in their first face-to-face confrontation amid a record fundraising record and a Supreme Court nomination debate, meaning that Graham will spend much of the rest of the campaign in Washington.
On Saturday, Graham and Jaime Harrison debate in Columbia at their first of three scheduled meetings. Two more debates are scheduled for the end of October, although Washington’s policy could undermine that agenda, as Graham – chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee – pushes not only for his own re-election, but also guides Amy Coney, nominated by President Donald Trump to the Barrett upper court, by the Senate.
With Trump promising a quick confirmation, Graham said the hearings will begin on October 12, and a vote is expected on October 29, just days before the election. Recognizing that it will be difficult to prevent Barrett’s confirmation, Democrats have declared that they prefer to wait until after the presidential election so that the winner can choose the next judge.
Ahead of a lawsuit that will include days of televised hearings, Graham will be in the national spotlight in what will certainly be a contentious confirmation process, a position he said could benefit his own political situation. Referring to his fiery defense of Trump’s previous nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, during the 2018 confirmation hearings, Graham said at an event in South Carolina last month that “lightning struck again” with the president’s opportunity to nominate another judge, adding that he would be “leading the attack” to secure Barrett’s confirmation.
“This is my job and I believe I am doing what the people of South Carolina want me to do about it,” said Graham.
After a member of the committee, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, said he had tested positive for the coronavirus, Graham said on Friday that he had been tested “out of caution” and that his own results had been negative.
Harrison’s campaign told the Associated Press that he had also tested negative on Friday.
Harrison, an associate chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said he felt Graham’s obligations in Washington could work for his own benefit, while he lost control in South Carolina, having been in charge for much of the remaining weeks of the campaign. .
“We will have the opportunity to really have a conversation with people here in South Carolina, while he is doing what he likes, which is being in the spotlight,” said Harrison in a recent interview with AP. “I love the opportunity to have the space to myself.”
Graham and Harrison’s first debate also occurs when campaigns are proud to raise more than $ 30 million each during the race, and two recent polls show candidates in a tie. Two consecutive polls at Quinnipiac University marked candidates with the same support among likely voters. On Thursday, Constitution Party candidate Bill Bledsoe – whose name was not included in the polls – announced that he was supporting Graham, although it is unclear how much this could boost Graham, as his name will still be in the running. ballots.
Harrison was able to use the surveys to capitalize on bringing in even more money, saying that in mid-September he raised $ 2 million in the two days after a Quinnipiac survey. Lindsey Must Go, a political action committee that supports Harrison, is among outside groups injecting money into the race, launching a campaign on Friday with a 2016 quote from Trump calling Graham “one of the dumbest human beings I have ever seen.” I already saw”.
Trump beat South Carolina by double digits over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Republicans control the two legislative chambers, all state offices and most seats in the state congress. South Carolina is presumed to be safe in his re-election column, and Trump has not announced plans to stay there on his own – or Graham, who is expressing confidence in his chances of re-election.
“Here’s what I want to say to all the liberals who talk about South Carolina: let’s kick your ass,” he said on Friday during a campaign event in Myrtle Beach.