‘That can’t happen.’ At Rock Hill rally, Graham warns of doom if he loses reelection
On the eve of Election Day, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is campaigning across the state in a competitive reelection race, asked the 100-plus crowd at a Rock Hill rally to imagine what Wednesday morning would feel like if he, and several other conservatives on the ballot in South Carolina, won.
“When we wake up — maybe not Wednesday — but sometime before Christmas, (President) Donald Trump gets four more years,” Graham, who is facing Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, told the crowd.
Supporters in the crowd, who also heard speeches from U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, S.C. Rep. Tommy Pope and S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick, waved “Graham gets it done” yard signs, cheering and clapping.
Norman and Pope also are up for reelection.
“The upside of that is everybody in San Francisco and New York will be jumping into the river,” Graham, on his third day of a statewide bus tour, said. The crowd laughed.
“Imagine four more years of a businessman in charge of the tax code, rather than a liberal in charge of the tax code,” he continued. “Imagine four more years of finishing the wall. Four more years of controlling the border. Four more years of building up the military and killing the terrorists over there, so they don’t come here.”
With each description, the crowd’s claps grew louder and louder. But Graham also warned of chaos if Republicans do not come out on top Tuesday.
“God help us all,” Graham told the crowd. “To all these young kids here, we will turn over a country to you that would be a disgrace…If (the Democrats) win the House and they win the Senate, and they win the White House, they’re going to fundamentally change the way America works.”
Supporters, about half of whom wore masks, grimaced and shouted “Boo!”
At one of his last 2020 campaign stops, Graham pleaded with voters in Rock Hill that if he’s not reelected, Democrats could take over the Senate and dramatically change how South Carolinians are represented.
“I don’t want to take the values of California and New York and impose them on South Carolina,” Graham said. “I want us to chart our way right. So, big deal if we win big deal if we lose.”
‘Down a road we don’t want to go’
Graham told reporters he feels “a lot of pressure” to win a race that has brought in millions to South Carolina, with Harrison raising $57 million in the third quarter. Graham and Harrison, combined, raised more than $180 million through Oct. 14.
“If we lost this seat in South Carolina, (Democrats) would for sure take over the Senate,” Graham said to reporters after his speech. “They’d change the court. They would change the structure of our government. And that can’t happen. People in South Carolina, don’t let that happen.”
In his bid to unseat Graham, Harrison has spent millions on ads against Graham that have inundated South Carolina, even Charlotte, TV and radio markets. But the third-term senator argued Harrison’s ads have actually helped him and united South Carolina conservatives.
“I’ve had people, who six months ago wouldn’t call the fire department if I was on fire, helping me because they see the difference between Harrison and Lindsey Graham,” Graham told reporters. “I just want to thank Mr. Harrison for uniting the Republican Party unlike anybody I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
For months, polls have suggested Graham and Harrison are virtually tied, but a recent Morning Consult poll, released Monday, showed Graham has a two-point lead over Harrison. Graham said he’s confident South Carolina voters will give him another term.
“My goal Wednesday morning, is to make everybody in California and New York depressed about South Carolina,” Graham told supporters. “I don’t know where they’re getting all this money, but there are a lot of people out there who don’t like me. I wear that as a sign of honor.”
NOTE: Tuesday’s election results will not be announced in time for The Herald’s print deadline. Go to heraldonline.com for complete election night coverage and results.
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 4:56 PM with the headline "‘That can’t happen.’ At Rock Hill rally, Graham warns of doom if he loses reelection."
