Even Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), whose seat is in the traditionally very “red” state of South Carolina, can not count on re-election this November. The Cook Political Report currently rates his race as a “likely” Republican victory, which is not the strongest category — it’s a level down from the “solid” Republican category in which seats like Tom Cotton’s in Arkansas sit. As questions swirl about Graham’s electoral viability in the wake of polls indicating the strength of Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison’s campaign, President Donald Trump himself issued a formal endorsement for Graham this weekend. The gesture came across as performative and desperate.
Trump tweeted:
‘Senator @LindseyGrahamSC is a good friend and strong voice for the people of South Carolina. He’s helped us confirm GREAT Judges, rebuild the Military, and keep our Country SAFE. Strong on Life and our Vets. Lindsey has my Complete and Total Endorsement!’
Senator @LindseyGrahamSC is a good friend and strong voice for the people of South Carolina. He’s helped us confirm GREAT Judges, rebuild the Military, and keep our Country SAFE. Strong on Life and our Vets. Lindsey has my Complete and Total Endorsement! https://t.co/UzEJ5jjnNX
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020
Trump’s endorsement seems like a political prize that Graham has been after for all this time. After initially strongly opposing Trump when the eventual president first launched his presidential campaign, Graham eventually came around to being a passionate shill for the president.
Now, in his role as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Graham has performed political errands for Trump like his recent decision to abruptly launch a melodramatic investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation. The Russia investigation has time and time again been proven to have operated free of political interference, and more acutely, the circumstances of its launch have close to no bearing on the lives of struggling everyday Americans — but Graham has continued unfettered anyway.
Check out Twitter’s response to Trump’s endorsement for Graham below:
