‘It’s about the people’: Potential challenger says Graham not fighting for constituents
Democrat Jaime Harrison wants to spread hope throughout South Carolina when he announces his run for Senate against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in the coming weeks.
Harrison, the former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman, said he plans to launch his campaign against Graham, a Republican, within the next few weeks. Harrison said he wants to restore hope and trust to the people Graham has neglected during his three terms in office.
“All people want is somebody to fight for them, to give them an opportunity. For somebody to make a difference in their lives,” Harrison said during a Beach Dems breakfast in Myrtle Beach Friday morning. “That’s what they deserve in the person who represents them in the U.S. Senate, and we don’t have that in Lindsey Graham.”
Harrison said he will bring a strong sense of constituent service if elected during the 2020 election, while adding that Graham’s only objective is to stay relevant and get re-elected.
“It’s about the people,” Harrison said. “It’s about the people in this state he has ignored time and time again. It’s about the people in the state he is not fighting for.”
Graham kicked off his re-election campaign at the Embassy Suites at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach in March surrounded by over 500 supporters and Vice President Mike Pence. Graham pledged to continue his efforts championing the military, growing the economy, lowering taxes and supporting President Donald Trump.
Graham’s campaign manager Scott Farmer told The Sun News in response to Harrison’s comments that it’s premature to respond to any attacks from a democratic candidate when the Democratic Party hasn’t chosen their nominee yet.
Before Harrison can challenge Graham, he will face a primary for the Democrats’ Senate nomination against Gloria Bromell Tinubu, a two-time candidate for Congress and lieutenant governor who announced her candidacy on May 1.
“In the meantime, our campaign will be focused on sharing Senator Graham’s conservative record with South Carolinians, raising money, and building the grassroots army we’ll need to fight the onslaught of attacks from liberal activists and Hollywood donors,” Farmer said.
Reflecting on his family values growing up in Orangeburg County, Harrison said he wants to make a difference in the state he calls home. The Columbia resident noted the need to expand Medicaid and healthcare for all, and to prevent any additional hospitals from closing throughout the state.
If rural hospitals continue to close, Harrison said, it would be a “death sentence” for that community, adding it would affect their economy by stalling infrastructure and deterring businesses from wanting to expand in that area.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, if you vote Democrat or Republican, it means your life is going to be impacted and not in a positive fashion,” Harrison said. “We got to have a senator that’s fighting for us and fighting for us in all those aspects.”
Harrison also stressed the need to protect the environment and ensure the underprivileged communities have an opportunity to grow.
Along with a vision of hope, Harrison said he wants to rebuild trust within the political process by turning his words into action. He said people throughout the state aren’t motivated to vote because they have seen little change enacted by their representatives. All they hear are words and nothing changing, he said.
Harrison added how people are yearning to see something different in the next election. He said he can be the candidate who restores hope, rebuilds trust and makes a difference.
“There’s so many people who rely on us to be the best that we can be, who look to us to be their voices, who look to use to be their advocates,” Harrison said. “This is about being a good person and doing good things for the good people in this great state.”
This story was originally published May 10, 2019 at 4:07 PM.
