Yes, SC is a red state, but Republicans shouldn’t forget there are blue citizens, too
Sen. Lindsey Graham has more than a million reasons for sticking with the bitterly embattled Donald Trump – the 1.4 million South Carolinians who voted for the president.
Graham won a fourth term by roughly the same margin (55%) that Trump took the state’s nine electoral votes.
And those 1.4 million Trump votes in South Carolina are likely the reason Graham felt empowered to make a graceless “I-told-you-I-would-win!” victory statement that didn’t mention his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, who was the most viable challenger Graham had faced as a senator.
So there’s no doubt about it: South Carolina remains the solidly Republican state that it has traditionally been in Senate and presidential elections. But here are some facts that Graham and other S.C. Republicans should keep in mind:
▪ While Graham easily won re-election, Harrison also received 1 million-plus votes.
▪ While Trump easily won our state, he didn’t come close to hitting the 60% mark he reached in states like Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and West Virginia.
Indeed the Democratic candidate, President-elect Joe Biden, also cleared the million-vote mark in South Carolina (by comparison, 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won less than 900,000 votes in our state).
So here’s the bottom line: while South Carolina is clearly a red state it has a significant minority of blue citizens, too. And those blue South Carolinians shouldn’t be forgotten or overlooked during the next four years.
Some perspective, please
Most readers understand these are unofficial numbers and will remain so until the totals are confirmed by the established, smoothly run processes which differ from state to state.
I imagine readers also know that when The Associated Press or one of the national television networks “calls” a state for a presidential candidate, the call is based on the numbers reported by state election folks and other data such as voting patterns and trends.
That’s why it’s somewhat bemusing to hear Republicans like Graham and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell deliver pious lectures blaming the media for somehow trying to “decide the election” instead of the voters.
Really, senators!
It’s worth noting that they and others had no problem with the media’s election calls and projections in 2016 when Trump won the presidency.
We need civility
At some point Graham, McConnell and the other Republican senators will be called upon to work with the Biden administration on major problems, including the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The nation will desperately need unity and civility in the days ahead, and these senators must do their part to provide both.
Perplexing numbers
It’s perplexing that about 7 million more people voted for Trump in 2020 than in 2016.
Clearly millions of Americans who voted for Trump in 2016 switched to Biden in 2020 because of Trump’s outrageous conduct, including his lack of decency and disregard for the truth.
Yet many more Americans weren’t bothered by that at all — and eagerly voted to re-elect Trump. There are plenty of possible reasons why, including:
▪ Abortion.
▪ Concern about financial investments.
▪ A dislike for Biden and his running mate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
▪ White supremacy views.
But it’s still alarming that so many Americans appear to like Trump’s behavior, and were clearly ready and willing to put up with four more years of it.
The Harris factor
On the side of our better angels Harris surely must be credited for attracting millions of votes from Americans who believe it’s high time for a woman to be vice president.
Harris is an undeniably accomplished woman who is well-equipped to serve as America’s vice president.
Peaceful transition needed
It’s unfortunate that Graham has pledged $500,000 to Trump’s legal efforts to contest the election and has encouraged Trump not to concede to Biden.
And it’s also too bad that McConnell continues to maintain that Trump has a right to pursue his baseless claims about election fraud in the courts.
To his credit McConnell has said that there will be a peaceful transfer of power.
It’s not clear what role McConnell might play in making that happen, but he and others have a responsibility to make sure there is an orderly transition from a Trump to a Biden administration.
D.G. Schumacher is a senior writer for The Sun News Editorial Board.