Today’s candidate to drop was Lindsay Graham.
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175-c-21-(Mark Smith, AP White House correspondent)-“to take sides”-AP White House Correspondent Mark Smith reports it’s unclear how Graham’s departure will affect the GOP contest”.
He made the announcement in a video posted on his campaign website. His solution to gridlock in Washington: “We’re going to drink more”. His support among South Carolina Republicans was between 1 and 2 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics average of the latest polls.
He entered the race hoping that his conservative national security credentials would appeal to voters, especially in his home state, which holds the nation’s first Southern presidential primary.
Graham’s failure to launch can’t be blamed on any lack of desire for the foreign policy vision he stakes out, or even on distaste for some of Graham’s more interesting positions, and attempt to work on issues like immigration. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) used YouTube to release his final statement from the campaign. After attacks on Paris killed 129 people, Graham pushed for an authorization of military force against the Islamic State that would allow the U.S.to attack the groups’ supporters anywhere, with no time limit. “That’s what Lindsey has had on the sidelines: big check writers”.
Graham’s problem, a problem shared by so many of his competitors, was that it was impossible to turn a small flame into anything substantial when Donald Trump was inhaling every molecule of oxygen in every room. He announced this during an interview on CNN this morning.
Although Graham struggled to cobble together enough support to seriously compete for his party’s nomination, he nevertheless left an indelible mark on the Republican campaign with his sober national security prescriptions, including a push to commit 10,000 USA troops to fight ISIS on the ground. “And I don’t believe that’s Mr. Trump, and I know that’s not Hillary Clinton”, Graham said.
Graham’s financial backers likely will take their time to get behind another candidate, waiting to see who gains more traction, predicted Scott Buchanan, a political scientist at The Citadel. Ted Cruz for being too right-wing for the party.
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At last week’s debate in Las Vegas, Mr. Graham dismissed a suggestion that he would pull his name from the February 20South Carolina ballot. It also frees up the endorsement of his Senate BFF John McCain, who still has a lot of fans in New Hampshire.
