Seriously? Is the GOP field lacking candidates? Does South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham expect to go far in the 2016 republican primary? I’ve continually ignored stories about Graham possibly launching a presidential campaign but I can no longer live in denial. Graham visited Iowa recently and, from all accounts, the trip went quite well.
Report from Yahoo News:
On his first trip to Iowa since getting into the early days of the 2016 presidential race, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham heard some advice from Republicans already thinking about the state’s lead-off caucuses.
They put it bluntly: “I need to show up,” he said.
Graham spent two days in Iowa this week, mostly attending private events with Republican elected officials and activists, as part of his efforts to “test the waters” for a potential campaign.
A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a leading GOP voice on foreign policy, Graham also spoke at an event organized by a former Iowa National Guard leader and planned to talk with reporters about national security issues.
A critic of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, Graham said he would focus on international affairs should he decide to run for president, a decision he expects to make in the next few months.
“I’ve just got to make sure there’s a path for me,” Graham said after a meeting Thursday with state lawmakers. “I don’t mind taking a risk.”
So what is the path for Graham to the nomination? He’s a hawk on foreign policy in line with Ted Cruz, he’s conservative on social issues in line with Mike Huckabee, and he’s soft on immigration in line with Jeb Bush. Seems to me his path, if it exists, is filled with obstacles. Perhaps none so large as general distrust for Graham, especially on immigration, who is often labeled with the nickname “Grahamnesty” on conservative social media.
His only major advantage is his home state of South Carolina, where he sits in a statistical tie for first when his name is included in primary polls.
