Today I received a fundraising solicitation email from Jaime Harrison, the Democrat running to replace Senator Lindsey Graham in South Carolina.
I found it intriguing. First of all, why did I receive it? Probably because I contributed to Amy Klobuchar's presidential campaign a few months ago, through Act Blue. So I figure Klobuchar or Act Blue shared the list or sold it to other Democratic candidates.
The text of political ads and solicitations always interests me. And this one does not disappoint. The text informs us that one reason why "this year is our best chance EVER to beat Lindsey Graham" is that "Lindsey Graham isn't who he used to be. He's abandoned his principles to focus on pleasing President Trump." Does that mean that the Democrats are saying Lindsey Graham used to be a good guy and a good senator but he no longer is? Why would they say that? Maybe because they figure they have to convince former Graham voters to switch over from red to blue, from Graham to Harrison this year.
To see how popular Graham has been in the past, I looked at his three previous Senate races: in 2002 he replaced Strom Thurmond, who retired at the end of his term at the age of 100! Then-congressman Graham won 54.4% of the statewide vote for senator that year. In 2008 he increased his margin to 57.5% of the vote. In 2014 he received 55.3% of the vote. Those margins are all solid, but not overwhelming. Maybe he is still a well-enough-liked guy in South Carolina that the Dems decided to take the approach that Graham is past his prime and needs to be sent out to pasture.
The other aspect of the ad that caught my attention was the big bold quote from Harrison:
“This election isn’t about left versus right. This is about right versus wrong.”
That’s clever. It also sounds like a play for the votes of Republicans and Independents, encouraging them to ignore how they self-identify on the political spectrum, and, instead, cast their votes based on some moral criteria – possibly the charge that Graham has “abandoned his principles.”
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Graham will be in the national spotlight for the rest of October as the Amy Coney Barrett nomination comes up for a vote in Graham’s committee and then on the Senate floor. His performance in the hearings and in the floor debate could make a real difference among South Carolina voters.
We shall see how this one plays out.