He was always at the side of former presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ). The two appeared to be the integrity-and-honor twins in the Senate. After the Arizona senator died, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham (R) made a dreadful decision.
Graham has stood at the side of Donald Trump ever since the Senate maverick pass away, even as the president has thrown person after person under the bus. He golfed with the president and traveled with him. Graham humiliated himself and tossed the values he shared with McCain over the ship of state’s railing. At what cost?
The southern senator knew that many of his South Carolina constituents had voted for Trump and would vote for him again. Yet, his association with the commander-in-chief has cost him dearly.
Former chairman and president of Michelin’s Greenville-based North America Richard Wilkerson was a major donor to Graham’s fundraisers. Then, he met Jaimie Harrison and gained from the experience, according to Charleston, South Carolina’s newspaper, The Post and Courier:
‘[Of] how hard he (Harrison) works to bring lasting economic opportunity to the people of South Carolina [the change] South Carolina needs.’
He said he decided to endorse Graham’s Democratic contender after working with him in Washington D.C. Wilkerson lobbied for the company. Michelin employees about 10,000 South Carolinians:
‘I am confident that as our next U.S. Senator, he will be a tireless advocate for creating well-paying jobs, improving our state’s health care system, and training the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow. Jaime is the perfect candidate to bring together South Carolinians from all walks of life.’
Harrison was gracious:
‘I look forward to working with all of our state’s business leaders to bring back hope to residents of the Palmetto State by building a 21st century (sic) economy for all. When I am elected to the United States Senate, I will make it a priority to support our workers and never stop working to bring good-paying jobs to South Carolina.’
Harrison and Wilkerson found themselves on the same side of many issues:
‘From 2009 to 2016, when Harrison was a lobbyist at the now-defunct Podesta Group, he advocated for some of Michelin’s legislative priorities, including dredging the Port of Charleston and creating new tire manufacturing standards to improve fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.’
Harrison has outraised the sitting senator during the first 2020 campaign quarter. He brought in record-breaking $7.36 million. His path to a Senate win means that he must bring donors such as Wilkerson over to his side. That tactic has been working well for him thus far.
The Democratic candidate said he was “honored” to get the endorsement of:
‘one of South Carolina’s most respected business leaders.’
When Graham briefly ran for president in 2015, Wilkerson was among “100 top business and community leaders” from South Carolina on the senator’s finance committee
Wilkerson has given Graham’s campaign over $10,000 since 2011, although he has also supported Democratic candidates. He stood with Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), too.
Graham will be running for his fourth term as one of the state’s senators. As a favored choice, he won his last election in 2014 by 17 percentage points.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
