What They are Saying About Lindsey Graham Running for President
(Erin Dooley, “Lindsey Graham Jumps Into 2016 Presidential Race: ‘Ready to Be Commander-in-Chief on Day One,’ ABC News, 06/01/15)
“…as he announced his presidential bid Monday here in the tiny town where he grew up, Lindsey Graham sought to knock down the idea that he’s a creature of Washington and instead told a personal story that’s largely been overlooked over the course of his two decades in the House and Senate. It’s the tale of a son of pool hall owners, who grew up near-impoverished in the back room of his parents’ bar. As a college student he raised, and eventually adopted, his little sister after their parents died, before going on to have a career as an Air Force lawyer and then rising to become South Carolina’s senior senator.” (Katie Glueck, “Lindsey Graham, In Announcing White House Run, Gets Personal,” Politico, 06/01/015)
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT GRAHAM RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT
Des Moines Register: “[Graham] Is A Refreshingly Honest And Principled Politician”“In contrast, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the fourth member of the Senate to announce his candidacy, is serving his third term in the Senate where he is widely respected for his principles and his foreign policy acumen. His career includes 30 years as a U.S. Air Force lawyer…He is a refreshingly honest and principled politician…Iowa Republicans have a lot of candidates to choose among, but they should not ignore Graham.” (Editorial Board, “Editorial: Among Senators Hoping To Be President, Graham Deserves A Look,” Des Moines Register, 05/06/15)
“You Might Not Always Agree With Lindsey Graham, But At Least You Know What The Man Thinks.”
(Max Ehrenfreund, “Lindsey Graham Is The Bluntest Candidate For President,” Washington Post, 06/01/15)
Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Graham Deserves Particular Credit For Sticking To His Convictions”
“Mr. Graham deserves particular credit for sticking to his convictions in Mr. Obama’s first term, when the political fashion was to say the U.S. was ‘war-weary.’ Mr. Obama claimed ‘the tide of war is receding’ and many Republicans and conservative pundits became anti-interventionists of convenience. Mr. Graham was among those warning that the President’s policy of disengagement was storing up danger, and he was right." (Editorial Board, “Graham For The Defense,” Wall Street Journal, 06/03/15)
Greenville News (SC): “Graham Is A Solid Republican With Conservative Values And A Pragmatic Approach To Governing.” “Graham is a serious candidate and he can force the other Republican candidates to have more serious conversations about how to protect this nation, deal with other countries, and reform its own spending and entitlement programs. Graham is a solid Republican with conservative values and a pragmatic approach to governing.” (Editorial Board, “Editorial: Sen. Graham Adds To GOP Presidential Field,” Greenville News, 06/05/15)
“An Unparalleled Depth Of Experience On Foreign Policy”
“Colleagues say he's got an unparalleled depth of experience on foreign policy, especially compared to his competitors in the Senate, who have had less time in the upper chamber to build their foreign policy credentials…Besides former Republican presidential nominee John McCain, there are few in the Republican Party who are as widely recognized for their hawkish foreign policy as Graham.” (Lauren Fox, “Lindsey Graham’s Presidential Campaign Has a Point,” National Journal, 06/01/15)
• Former New Hampshire Republican National Committeeman Tom Rath: “His Foreign Policy Chops Will Not Go Unnoticed In This Field” (John DiStaso, “NH Seen As Crucial To Lindsey Graham’s Presidential Hopes,” WMUR, 06/01/15)
• Sen. Joe Liberman: “There Is No One Who Knows And Understands National Security Questions Better Than Lindsey” "‘He should be taken very seriously because there is no one who knows and understands national security questions better than Lindsey,’ said former Sen. Joe Lieberman, who worked with Graham when he was in the Senate on everything from foreign policy to climate change.” (Lauren Fox, “Lindsey Graham’s Presidential Campaign Has a Point,” National Journal, 06/01/15)
Sen. John McCain: “He’s A Dark Horse – Keep An Eye On Him”
"‘He's a dark horse — keep an eye on him,’ McCain told reporters earlier this year. ‘In debates, he'll shred 'em. Have you ever seen Sen. Graham in a debate, on the floor of the Senate? He will do wonderful. I don't want to raise expectations, but I'm confident.’" (Ryan Lovelace, “Lindsey Graham Could Be The South Carolina Spoiler,” Washington Examiner, 06/02/15)
“A Credible Candidate Addressing Real Issues”
“Finally, some real retail politics. For 90 days, I’ve waited for this. For nearly an hour, a credible candidate addressed real issues. He gave specifics. He took lots of questions. He bantered with glee. It’s refreshing to see citizens listening with openness…They asked intelligent questions and we got substantive answers.” (Morey Stettner, “Lindsey Graham, Lovable Warmonger, Seacoast Online, 06/03/15)
Wall Street Journal: “Whoever Emerges From The GOP Field Will Want To Put Global Disorder Front And Center In 2016, And Mr. Graham Can Explain To The Public How We Got Here.” (Editorial Board, “Graham For The Defense,” Wall Street Journal, 06/03/15)
Greenville News (SC): “[Graham] Can Elevate The Discussion And Force Attention To Issues Key To Our Nation’s Survival.” “It’s impossible at this point to predict where Graham’s run for the Republican presidential nomination will take him. What is certain is that he can elevate the discussion and force attention to issues key to our nation’s survival.” (Editorial Board, “Editorial: Sen. Graham Adds To GOP Presidential Field,” Greenville News, 06/05/15)
MORE FROM THE NEWS…
“Graham Combines The Candor Of A Dark-Horse Candidate With The Media Profile Of A Front-Runner” “Graham's speech finishes a months-long exploratory process, one that found the Republican bantering with town hall audiences and baiting rivals into fights on foreign policy and immigration. Polling in single digits, joking about his chances, Graham combines the candor of a dark-horse candidate with the media profile of a front-runner.” (David Weigel, “Republican Lindsey Graham Announces 2016 Presidential Campaign,” Bloomberg, 06/01/15)
“Polls Show That Graham’s Focus on National Security Will Likely Resonate With GOP Voters”
“But polls also show that Graham's focus on national security will likely resonate with GOP voters. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey released last month found that Republican voters think national security should be the number one priority of the federal government.” (Andrew Rafferty, “Lindsey Graham Joins Growing Republican Presidential Field, NBC News, 06/01/15)
“Graham Has Already Gone Further Than Most Of His Rivals For The GOP Nomination In Saying How He Would Tackle [Problems]” “Yet in the early days of the 2016 campaign for president, Graham has already gone further than most of his rivals for the GOP nomination in saying how he would tackle such problems, while acknowledging the potential costs of his strategy.” (Bill Barrow, “Starting His 2016 Campaign, South Carolina's Graham Has Blunt Talk On Approach To Middle East,” Associated Press, 06/01/15)
Associated Press: “Starting His 2016 Campaign, South Carolina's Graham Has Blunt Talk On Approach To Middle East”(Bill Barrow, “Starting His 2016 Campaign, South Carolina's Graham Has Blunt Talk On Approach To Middle East,” Associated Press, 06/01/15)
Concord Monitor: New Presidential Candidate Graham Says N.H. Is Key To His Strategy
(Nick Reid, “New Presidential Candidate Graham Says N.H. Is Key To His Strategy,” Concord Monitor, 06/03/15)
National Review: Graham Courts National Guard In Bid For Iowa Win
(Joel Gehrke, “Graham Courts National Guard In Bid For Iowa Win,” Review, 06/05/15)
NYT: “Ronald Perelman Puts Financial Clout Behind Lindsey Graham
“When Hillary Rodham Clinton first left the State Department in 2013, one of the earliest meetings she held was with an old friend, Ronald O. Perelman, the cosmetics billionaire and a major political donor. Yet Mr. Perelman has emerged on the national finance committee list rolled out by Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator seeking the Republican nomination for president….” (Maggie Haberman, “Ronald Perelman Puts Financial Clout Behind Lindsey Graham,” New York Times, 06/04/15)
WIS – Columbia, SC: Graham's Unique Traits, Foreign Policy Stance Could Help In Race For Presidency
(Jack Kuenzie, “Graham's Unique Traits, Foreign Policy Stance Could Help In Race For Presidency,” WIS – Columbia, SC, 06/02/15)
Des Moines Register: Iowa's Retail Politics Suits Lindsey Graham's Style
(Brianne Pfannenstiel, “Iowa's retail politics suits Lindsey Graham's style,” Des Moines Register, 06/01/15)
• “It’s An Unvarnished Approach That Tends To Work Particularly Well In [New Hampshire] Where Voters Have A Collective Penchant For Sniffing Out Inauthenticity In A Candidate” “It’s an unvarnished approach that tends to work particularly well in a state where voters have a collective penchant for sniffing out inauthenticity in a candidate faster than a basset hound can find a piece of bacon slipped under the rug.” (Scott Conroy, “Lindsey Graham Will Run For President The Way He Wants To, Even If He Gets Gored In The Process,” Huffington Post, 06/03/15)
