When South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham died suddenly July 11, it was of immediate interest to me because he’s from my home district and I have met him several times.
When then-businessman Donald Trump entered the political scene, Graham was a vocal and articulate critic. He famously called Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot” and told fellow Republicans, “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.”
Julia Goldie Day
However, once Trump became the nominee, Graham changed his tune, supporting Trump, even gaining him as a golfing buddy despite their previous differences.
After losing re-election, Trump baited the January 6 crowd into rioting and storming the U.S. Capitol, interfering with the certification for President-elect Joe Biden. From the Senate chamber, Graham said, “It’s a uniquely bad idea to delay this election,” and although “I hate it,” “count me out, enough is enough.” He concluded: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected and will become the president and the vice president of the United States on January 20.”
Lindsey Graham:
- Voted not guilty in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump
- Voted against creating the January 6 Commission
- Called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to disqualify all mail in ballots with signature errors (Trump was short 14,000 votes).
- Supported a boycott of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee yet pushed through Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination despite credible sexual assault allegations
- Changed precedent to push through another Trump nominee to the court after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Voted consistently against health care reform, the Affordable Care Act and protection for those with pre-existing conditions
- Was consistently anti-abortion, but more recently became more extreme by supporting a national ban with some exceptions
- Voted consistently against rights for LGBTQ Americans despite him being rumored to be secretly gay, known as “Lady G” and “Miss Lindsey” for years
- Was known as a war hawk who said, “Bomb the hell out of them”
“Americans can hold Graham responsible for much harm that will overshadow any good he accomplished.”
For these, and many other reasons in his long career in state and national leadership, Americans can hold Graham responsible for much harm that will overshadow any good he accomplished. It is not lost on many of us that blatantly racist South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond selected him as his successor.
President Trump called into NBC’s Meet the Press — after quick honorifics were shared — saying he had a phone call with the senator late Friday, in which Graham was discussing pushing the Save America Act, even though he was fatigued from his trip to Ukraine.
With the absent, perhaps unconscious or deceased Mitch McConnell, the death of Graham will hit Trump and Republicans hard. The Save America Act is a last-ditch effort to “save” Republicans from losing power under the guise of interfering in the next election. Legislating election interference is becoming even more out of reach now.
In the state of South Carolina, the ramifications are vast. While Graham most likely would have won re-election, he was well met in Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Mt. Pleasant. She will have a head start to defeat any candidate getting into the race this late but still may not be the favorite in a red state. In the meantime, the South Carolina governor has the ability by law to appoint someone to fill Graham’s seat for the rest of the term. This person could potentially be the same person to run in the primary to fill the seat.
Graham additionally served on the Judiciary Committee. He would have been a key part of confirming the next nominee for U.S. Attorney General, Todd Blanch, who is currently serving as acting attorning general. Proceedings begin Tuesday, July 15, in committee with 10 Democrats and now just 11 Republicans keenly aware of the vastly unpopular policies of the Justice Department.
Democratic officials have been asking a key question to which Graham provided an answer: Who won the 2020 presidential election? This question continues to be a bellwether for candidates’ integrity.
Today we should remember these words of Graham, conceding to Congress in January 2020, “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected and will become the president and the vice president of the United States.”
As new candidates continue to come forward to serve our democracy, the question is rightly poised: Who won in 2020? It is often answered, “Joe Biden was certified as the president by Congress.” The script will not allow any aspiring Republican to say, “Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.” We will continue to hear this uncredible narrative and must compare it to the words that defend democracy from insurrection.
I hope better days are ahead for our democracy than Lindsey Graham.
Julia Goldie Day is an ordained minister within the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and lives in Memphis, Tenn. She is a painter and proud mother to Jasper, Barak and Jillian. Learn more at her website or follow her on socials @JuliaGoldieDay.