Graham’s camp said the state’s senior senator is supporting Bush because he “is prepared to be commander-in-chief on Day One”, according to The Charleston Post and Courier, which first reported the news.
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“Jeb Bush, who did poorly last night in the debate and whose chances of winning are zero, just got Graham endorsement. And along with it come a lot of friends and supporters of his”, Bush said.
Haley has said she could endorse a White House hopeful before South Carolina’s February 20 Republican presidential primary.
Graham said he was backing Bush because he has the best plan to continue the fight against terrorism and the temperament to run the county. It is the third state to vote, on February 20th, following the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary.
Rival campaigns are watching Bush’s finance operation closely and have been working behind the scenes to lay the groundwork to poach his donor network.
Graham, who left the race in December, said SC would give Bush the momentum to win the nomination. Marco Rubio doing OK, and Ben Carson slipping fast while John Kasich and Jeb Bush underwhelm.
Graham called the former Florida governor thoughtful and quietly resolved to protect America’s interest. “Let’s not make that mistake again”, Graham said.
Bush responded to the news Friday morning on Fox News, praising Graham for his national security and military knowledge. So far, a top Florida Republican fundraiser, Brian Ballard, has been one of the only notable defections to Sen. The overwhelming sense is of a candidate who overpromised-to the tune of $114 million in donations to his campaign and super PACs-but under-delivered in an election cycle hijacked by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
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Graham claimed the SC primary will “reset” the race, although Bush’s campaign could be on its last legs by then without strong showings in the earlier contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.
