Graham enters GOP race with U. S. security focus
CENTRAL, S. C. — Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Monday returned to the neighborhood where he was raised and announced that he is running for president, injecting a voice focused on foreign policy into a crowded field of Republican contenders.
Graham’s entry into the race comes a year after his political career appeared on the ropes whe n Te a Party conservatives targeted him as a moderate to be ousted in the midterm election. After fending off that challenge, Graham, 59, has said his fear that the world
is “falling apart” inspired him to run for the White House. He will try to convince voters that a platform of pragmatism at home and “security through strength” abroad is the formula that gives Republicans the best chance to beat Hillary Rodham Clinton if she becomes the Democratic nominee.
“I’m Lindsey Graham, and I’m running for president of the United States,” he said to the crowd assembled in his hometown of Central.
Graham was first elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving eight years in the House of Representatives. He joins the nominating contest as an underdog who has struggled in early polls next to rivals such as former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
“I think that no one here in South Carolina has any illusions that Lindsey Graham is on a fast track or even near the front part of the pack in that crowded group,” said Robert Wislinski, a political strategist in the state.
In previous election cycles, that might not have been the case for someone with Graham’s credentials.
Graham has made multiple trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, burnishing his reputation as an authority on international affairs.
He’s the only declared candidate with a military record, having been a judge advocate in the Air Force since 1982. Last week, he announced he would leave the Air Force Reserve as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 60 this summer.
He dedicated himself Monday to defeating U. S. adversaries — a commitment that would place thousands of troops back in Iraq, essentially re- engaging in a war began in 2003.
“I’ve got one simple message,” he said. “I have more experience with our national
security than any other candidate in this race. That includes you, Hillary.
“Simply put, radical Islam is running wild. They have more safe havens, more money, more weapons and more capability to strike our homeland than any time since 9/ 11. They are large, they are rich, and they’re entrenched.”
He said as president, he’d “make them small, poor and on the run.”
“I’m afraid some Americans have grown tired of fighting them,” he said. “I have bad news to share with you — the radical Islamists are not tired of fighting you.”
Despite his focus on Islamic State militants with footholds in Iraq and Afghanistan, Graham said Iran poses the gravest threat.
If the U. S. does not head off a nuclear capability in Iran, Graham said, “Iran will trigger a nuclear arms race in the least stable region on Earth, and make it more likely that people who aspire to genocide will have the most effective means to commit it.”
He said recently there is no avoiding the reality that more Americans will have to fight and die to defend the country.
His approach contrasts with that of fellow senator and presidential candidate, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, who favors less military intervention. And his talk about more troops and casualties also stands out among other Republican contenders who promise to quash Islamic State militants but sidestep details.
Graham came to Congress as an outspoken member of the conservative freshman class that brought Republicans a majority in 1994. Yet he’s since joined with Democrats on some contentious votes.
He voted to end a 2013 partial government shutdown, for example. He also backed President Barack Obama’s two Supreme Court nominees.
That earned Graham enmity among some Republicans, but he said Monday his willingness to “work with anybody” is necessary.
In 2013, he worked with a bipartisan group of senators on legislation that would have created a path to citizenship for millions of aliens. The plan failed, but Graham has made the case that Republicans are in danger of further losing Hispanic support because of opposition to immigration changes.
Strategists say that fundraising will be an obstacle for Graham but if his candidacy gains traction, he could benefit from South Carolina’s status as an early primary state.
“Jeb Bush has pulled up the Brink’s truck and is about to dump it on the 2016 field, so it will be interesting to see how everybody competes with that,” said Luke Byars, who advised Graham during his previous campaign.
Graham planned appearances this week in New Hampshire and Iowa, if the Senate schedule lets him go.
Graham said Monday that wealthier members of his generation will have to take fewer Social Security and Medicare benefits, while younger workers may have to work longer and pay more.
“We have to fix entitlement programs to make sure people who need the benefits the most receive them,” he said. “That’s going to require determined presidential leadership.”
That statement impressed Daniel Nichols, 35, of Central.
“You know, I think he may be right on Social Security,” Nichols said. “I wonder if he’s being a little too truthful when he says that, though.”
Graham leaned heavily on his personal story Monday, delivering his speech in front of the building where he grew up and his parents ran a pool hall, bar and restaurant. Graham’s parents died when he was in college, leaving him as guardian to his then 13- year- old sister, Darline.
“We depended on Social Security benefits to survive,” Graham said. “As president, I’ll gladly do what it takes to save a program that once saved my family.”
Information for this article was contributed by Alan Rappeport of The New York Times; by Bill Barrow, Alex Sanz and Meg Kinnard of The Associated Press; and by David Weigel of Bloomberg News.