Names of Interested Individuals Including Hodges, Harpootlian, Rex, Lovelace, Moore and Ravenel Surfacing
South Carolina’s Senior Senator Lindsey Graham has millions of dollars of campaign funds in the bank, is running frequent TV and radio ads, and is on Fox News just about daily talking about hot topics ranging from Benghazi to the IRS.
His most damaging handicap is his votes for liberal Supreme Court judges and complimentary remarks regarding Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.
Regardless, his supporters are showing signs of panic. A recent Winthrop poll showed Graham getting only 45 percent of the vote. This is not a good number for an incumbent who needs more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff.
Graham’s greatest weapon is South Carolina’s open primary law. He is not limited to getting Republican votes to win the Republican Primary. Democrats can vote for him in the Republican Primary.
Democrats have a candidate in the race but only one. Jay Stamper is the Democrat opponent of Graham, but he does not appear to be getting support from the Democrat Party. Their preferred candidate is Lindsey Graham, the Republican.
The first problem the Graham campaign has is finding a way to defeat six Republican challengers. They are State Senator Lee Bright, Attorney and combat veteran Bill Connor, business owner Richard Cash, Political Consultant Nancy Mace, former pastor Det Bowers and Attorney Benjamin Dunn.
Bright, Cash and Connor have the best chance of surfacing to win a runoff with Graham. Bright has a very conservative voting record in the South Carolina Senate. Connor has some statewide recognition having been a candidate for Lt. Governor four years ago. Richard Cash received the largest number of votes in the Third Congressional District Primary four years ago, but lost to Jeff Duncan by a narrow margin in the runoff.
Former State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel, a Republican who was forced from office due to drug charges, has expressed interest in running against Graham as an Independent. Ravenel, who made his millions in the construction trade, might be willing to make a deal with Democrats to enhance his chances should Graham lose in a Republican Primary runoff.
Former Democrat Party State Chairman Dick Harpootlian and former Democrat Governor Jim Hodges are leading the Democrat effort and told a Charleston internet blog that they are looking for a candidate who is neither a Democrat or Republican to run against any “wingnut” who might defeat Graham in a primary runoff.
A colorful language artist and attorney, Harpootlian has reportedly described all of Graham’s Republican opponents as “wingnuts.”
Wall Street millionaire Darla Moore is one who has been mentioned, as well as Oacar Lovelace, who claims to be a Republican and is involved in a third party movement with Democrat Jim Rex.
