Lindsey Graham's complicated relationship with the populist conservative movement may be put to the ultimate test.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the senior South Carolina senator could soon have an early primary challenger in the form of Congressman Ralph Norman. (RELATED: Is Speaker McCarthy Going To Betray Us Again?)
Norman says he is “not ruling anything out” as he weighs a potential primary bid against the Republican heavyweight.
The Post and Courier reports:
“Rep. Norman told us this morning he is not ruling anything out but has made no decisions yet on future elections,” said Austin Livingston, Norman's spokesman and deputy chief of staff. “He remains firmly committed to serving South Carolina's 5th District in the House and doing everything within his ability to restore fiscal sanity and conservative values to Washington.”
Graham's office did not immediately return a request for comment.
In November, Norman easily won reelection to a third term representing South Carolina's 5th Congressional District. The 70-year-old Rock Hill Republican secured 64 percent of the vote in a district that stretches across 10 counties from eastern Spartanburg County to Sumter.
His staff's comments to The Post and Courier did not dispute a report earlier in the day by Politico Playbook, a popular D.C.-based newsletter, that declared Norman is considering a run against Graham.
Graham has always won reelection convincingly, even in 2020 when Democrat Jamie Harrison shattered Senate campaign fundraising records.
But today's Republican Party is different than the one Graham climbed the ranks of two decades ago. Its likely primary voters may be the greatest threat to Graham's future aspirations. (RELATED: Following The Money In The Republican Presidential Primary)
Norman reportedly began toying with the idea of challenging Graham after seeing him booed offstage at a Trump rally earlier this month.
Time may be Graham's only ally. The 68-year-old isn't up for reelection until 2026.
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Victory if done Hooray
Norman is 70. For the good of the country he should put personal ambition aside and help prepare the next generation to step in and advance conservative values and policies.
It’s time for Graham to retire and become a fishmonger…’but I wouldn’t trust any fish he claimed to have caught.