Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has amassed a $37.3 million war chest for the 2022 election cycle, a sign that he has “quickly become one of the most prolific fundraisers among Senate Republicans,” Fox News reports.
Democrat Begins Registration Push to Unseat Tim Scott
“More than a year and a half ahead of the 2022 general election, a Democratic state lawmaker is mounting a bid to unseat Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), saying her campaign — with the aim of registering 150,000 new voters across South Carolina — has what it takes to tighten the margin Democrats have struggled to close in statewide elections,” the AP reports.
Said state Rep. Krystle Matthews (D): “This is a true grassroots effort, focusing on voter registration, engagement and mobilization. We’re going to meet and engage as many people as we can, particularly people who haven’t voted in a while.”
She added: “This is a doable race.”
Third Party Candidate Urges No One Vote for Him
“Bill Bledsoe, the third-party candidate in the hotly contested Senate race between GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison, has a message for South Carolinians: Don’t vote for me,” Politico reports.
“Harrison’s campaign and several Democratic outside groups opposing Graham have elevated Bledsoe in TV ads this month, an effort to siphon off conservative voters who may be dissatisfied with Graham, potentially boosting Harrison’s chances against the three-term senator in the deep red state. It’s not an unusual tactic to elevate third-party candidates in tight races, where just a few percentage points could make the difference, and public polling this month has shown the race to be highly competitive.”
“But the effort in South Carolina has come after Bledsoe suspended his campaign on Oct. 1 — too late to be removed from the ballot — and endorsed Graham.”
One Final Debate In South Carolina’s Senate Race
U.S. Senate foes Lindsey Graham (R) and Jaime Harrison (D) have agreed to a final debate on Friday evening, four days before Election Day in the race for one of South Carolina’s prized seats, the Charleston Post and Courier reports.
Jaime Harrison Has Raised More Than $100 Million
“Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison became the first U.S. Senate candidate in American history to pass the $100 million mark for fundraising and spending in early October as he continued to shatter national cash records in his race against South Carolina’s Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham,” the Charleston Post & Courier reports.
Graham Leads In South Carolina
A new New York Times/Siena poll in South Carolina finds Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) leading challenger Jaime Harrison (D), 46% to 40%.
In the presidential race, Donald Trump leads Joe Biden, 49% to 41%.
Jaime Harrison Shatters Fundraising Record
South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison’s campaign announced Sunday it raised $57 million in the third quarter of 2020, shattering the quarterly fundraising record for a Senate race set by Beto O’Rourke in 2018 by almost $20 million, Axios reports.
Third Party Candidate Backs Graham In South Carolina
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) “is getting campaign support from a third-party candidate, potentially bringing with him a narrow margin of conservative backers who could propel Graham over his Democratic challenger in a tightening race,” the AP reports.
“Bill Bledsoe, who had been running as the Constitution Party candidate seeking to block Graham from a fourth term, dropped out to endorse Graham.”
However, Bledsoe’s name “will still appear on ballots, which have already been printed.”
GOP Super PAC Moves to Rescue Graham
“A Republican super PAC is preparing a massive ad blitz in South Carolina, hoping to boost Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in a re-election campaign that has become unexpectedly competitive despite the state’s rightward lean,” McClatchy reports.
“Senate Leadership Fund plans to spend $10 million over three weeks starting Saturday on TV and radio ads in the state, an enormous late push into the state the group’s leader says is reflective of the massive spending disparity between Graham and his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison.”
Graham Literally Begged for Campaign Donations
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) repeatedly begged for campaign donations during an appearance on Fox & Friends, claiming he’s “being killed financially” and needs “some help.”
Senate Democrats to Spend In South Carolina Race
The DSCC announced they’re going in with a seven-figure investment to help Jaime Harrison (D) in the South Carolina U.S. Senate race, according to the Cook Political Report.
Jaime Harrison Raises $1 Million In Less Than 24 Hours
Jaime Harrison (D) announced that he raised $1 million within a day after a poll found him tied with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) the U.S. Senate race in South Carolina.
Lincoln Project Looks to Take Down Lindsey Graham
Many of The Lincoln Project’s founders had ties to the late Sen. John McCain. So when it comes to their latest ad — a devastating attack on Sen. Lindsey Graham — they admit to the National Journal that “this one was personal.”
South Carolina Senate Race Now Competitive
Cook Political Report: “While there are still large hurdles that remain for Harrison to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from South Carolina since 1998, it’s clear this race is becoming more competitive, and Graham faces an incredibly strong challenge.”
“In the races in our Likely Republican column, this is also the one some national Republicans view as the more competitive. We are moving South Carolina from Likely to Lean Republican.”
Lindsey Graham In Tight Race for Reelection
A new Morning Consult poll in South Carolina finds Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) barely ahead of challenger Jaime Harrison (D), 44% to 43%.
Lindsey Graham Distances Himself from Trump
“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has publicly opposed President Trump five times in the past few weeks — including a new rebuke Monday — an unusual torrent of dissent from one of the president’s top allies in Washington just months before the South Carolina Republican faces a tough reelection challenge,” the Columbia State reports.
David Wasserman: “When even Lindsey Graham starts repudiating Trump, you know it’s… oh wait, he just made it through his primary and was willing to say anything to survive all along because he doesn’t have a life outside of being a senator. This isn’t hard, folks.”
Lindsey Graham’s Words Used Against Him
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) gushes in a new ad that Joe Biden is “as good a man as God ever created” — while President Trump is a “xenophobic, race-baiting, religious bigot.”
The ad will run on Fox News in the Charlotte and Greenville markets, reaching both South Carolina and the swing state of North Carolina, the HuffPost reports.
It will also air on Fox News in Washington, D.C.
Graham’s Embrace of Trump Was Smart Politics
New York Times: “Even as Lindsey Graham faces a determined and well-financed challenger, his strategy may pay off. In ruby-red South Carolina, he has stuck close to the Republican president, who is likely to win the state in the general election…”
“Privately, some Democratic officials admit that while Mr. Graham’s conservative turn may be off-putting in some parts of South Carolina, it’s smart politics in a statewide race. Early public polling indicates that Jaime Harrison still has an uphill climb, and Mr. Graham has a slight advantage.”
☑️ Get 25% off any shared eCommerce or Managed WordPress hosting plan at WP Engine.
☑️ The Almanac of American Politics 2022 is the gold standard of accessible political information, relied on by everyone involved, invested or interested in politics in America.