Re-elected homophobe Lindsey Graham threatens to ‘stop the radical agenda’ as Senate result hangs in balance
Lindsey Graham celebrating his election win (Screenshot: CNN)
Lindsey Graham has won a fourth term in South Carolina after a campaign capped off by comparing same-sex marriage to polygamy.
The sexist, homophobic senator – one of Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress – won 55.8 per cent of the vote against Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison.
The battle turned out to be the most expensive race for the Senate in history, with both candidates raising a combined total of $200 million.
As he delivered his victory speech on election night (November 3), Graham gleefully boasted that those donating to his opponent had wasted their money.
“To all the pollsters out there, you have no idea what you are doing. And to all of the liberals in California and New York, you wasted a lot of money,” he said.
Graham framed his campaign as a fortress against what he saw as the Democrats’ “radical” agenda, saying his opponent and Joe Biden were Trojan horses for a socialist agenda overtaking the more moderate Democratic establishment in Washington.
He reiterated this after winning, telling “every conservative in South Carolina” he would do everything he could to “stop the radical agenda coming from Nancy Pelosi’s House”.
“So speaking of Pelosi,” he added, “if you enact the agenda you’re talking about, we’re gonna bury it in the Senate, ’cause it’s bad for America.”
Though it was widely predicted the Democrats would take control of the Senate from the Republicans, any blue wave has yet to manifest. Currently, the Senate race is too close to call, as is the presidency.
Lindsey Graham wins election, beating off Democratic challenger.
Polling predicted Lindsey Graham would lose by two points, but the shock result saw him beat Jaime Harrison – described as a “steadfast ally to the LGBT+ community” by the Human Rights Campaign – by a wide margin of 12.9 per cent.
It’s thought he was able to bolster support from his base through his role overseeing the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett.
It was during this hearing that he likened marriage equality to polygamy as he pushed back against Democrats who questioned Barrett over her record on LGBT+ rights.
Noting the court’s 2015 Obergefell ruling that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, Graham asked: “Is there any constitutional right to a polygamous relationship?”
Two weeks later he made headlines once again by graciously suggesting that women can have a “place” in the United States as long as they embrace religion, oppose abortion access and live by a “traditional family structure”.
The senator’s troubling comments were vindicated by his resounding victory in South Carolina, as he proudly told voters: “Here’s the message I got – people like what I’m doing and I’m gonna keep doing it!”
