Lindsey Graham confident he will keep Senate seat despite polling behind Jaime Harrison
The senator is trailing his challenger by two points in the latest polling.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Senator Lindsey Graham said he is "more confident than ever of victory", despite trialing in the polls.
Mr Graham is polling two points below his Democratic party rival, Jaime Harrison. While that puts the race in what is essentially a dead heat, it does not put either man in a position to express confidence in their chances.
The South Carolina senator shared a video along with his proclamation of confidence in which he called for smaller government, appealing to individualist tropes among his Republican supporters. He claimed his campaign was about promoting "your destiny, not the government's destiny for you."
Mr Graham sponsored 33 bills during the 2019-2020 session of Congress. The senator is seeking his fourth term.
Mr Graham has had a difficult time fending off Mr Harrison's campaign; the Democrat managed to raise more than $100m for his campaign. Mr Graham has only raised about $67m.
In the past, the senator has managed to beat his challengers by double-digit margins, but Mr Harrison has proven a far more capable challenger.
“This is the biggest challenge that I have ever faced,” Mr Graham said.
Mr Graham is struggling due in part to his role in the US Supreme Court nomination hearings of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The televised confirmation hearings kept him in the spotlight for weeks, with critics constantly attacking him for his role in confirming a Supreme Court Justice only weeks before the 2020 US election.
Mr Graham even used his temporary spotlight to appeal to complain about Mr Harrison's fundraising.
"To my good friend Sen. [Sheldon] Whitehouse. Me and you are going to come closer and closer about regulating money, because I don't know what's going on out there, but there's a lot of money being raised in this campaign. I'd like to know where the hell some of it is coming from," Mr Graham said during Ms Barrett's hearing.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments