Lindsey Graham says women ‘have a place in America’ and ‘can go anywhere’ if they are against abortion
Senator’s comments echo statement he made about young Black people and immigrants in early October
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Your support makes all the difference.Lindsey Graham has said young women in America can accomplish anything they want if they are pro-life, embrace religion, and follow a traditional family structure.
The Republican Senator for South Carolina cited Judge Amy Coney Barrett as a role model when speaking at a campaign event in Conway, South Carolina.
“You know what I like about Judge Barrett? She's got everything,” the senator said. “She's not just wicked smart, she's incredibly good. She embraces her faith.
“I want every young woman to know there's a place for you in America if you are pro-life, if you embrace your religion, and you follow traditional family structure. That you can go anywhere, young lady,” he added.
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Mr Graham is campaigning in a highly competitive election race against Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, the first Black chair of the party in the state.
During a debate against Mr Harrison, the senator was furiously criticised for saying that young black people and immigrants can “go anywhere” in South Carolina, adding “you just need to be conservative, not liberal”.
There was similar anger online this weekend, with Twitter users reminding the senator that it was not the 1950s or the nineteenth century.
Others pointed out the hypocrisy of a 65-year-old man, who has never married nor had children, lecturing women about adhering to a “traditional family structure”.
While South Carolina is a Republican stronghold — Senator Graham won in 2014 by 15.6 percentage points — this year’s election has surprised many by how competitive it has become.
Polling has Mr Graham ahead by single digits, though potentially within the margin of error.
Many voters seem spurred on by the senator’s flip over the nomination and confirmation of Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court — he had previously said on the record that new justices should not be appointed in election years.
Donald Trump is all but guaranteed to win the state and its nine electoral college votes.
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