Everything that can go wrong is going wrong for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as he seeks another term in the U.S. Senate.
Consider what’s happened in just the last few weeks for the Graham campaign:
- A former top GOP donor endorsed Graham’s Democratic challenger, Jamie Harrison, in the the South Carolina Senate race.
- Fundraising numbers show Graham losing in the money race by nearly $2 million in the first quarter of the year.
In late April, Richard Wilkerson, the former chairman and president of Michelin’s operations in North America, jumped ship and said he would be putting his influence and money behind Harrison, and he even explained why:
“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 healthcare 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. I am proud to endorse Jaime today, and I know first hand he is the change South Carolina needs.”
That’s a major defection from a business leader who is well-respected in South Carolina, and it suggests that all of the momentum is with Harrison, who is within striking distance in recent polls, only behind the incumbent Graham by four percentage points, which is well within the poll’s margin of error.
When it comes to fundraising, Harrison recently bested Graham by a margin of $7.3 million to $5.5 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings. That’s a big deal when you consider how vital money is to any campaign, especially with just six months remaining until voters go to the polls.
All of this bad news for Graham reportedly has his campaign staff in panic mode as they try to find a way to counter the momentum Harrison has gained over the last couple of months.
The other bad news for Sen. Graham is that Donald Trump is also looking like an incumbent president who is likely to bring down other Republicans on the general election ticket, with Trump trailing Joe Biden in the latest Reuters/IPSOS poll. Biden leads Trump nationally in the survey, 45 to 39 percent, and has a 10-point lead among self-described independent voters.
Think about it: Graham may wind up losing because he’s so closely aligned with Trump. Wouldn’t that be a perfect example of karmic irony?