Lindsey Graham ends his 2016 presidential campaign
WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham ended his 2016 campaign for president Monday, saying he remains committed to working to achieve security for the American people and helping the GOP expand its base.
With just over a month to go until voting begins, the South Carolina senator – the only candidate from one of the four early voting states – posted a video telling supporters “we have run a campaign we can be proud of.” He noted his emphasis on national security and improving the nation’s balance sheet, saying he “put forth bold and practical solutions to big problems.”
In a taped interview broadcast later on CNN, the 60-year-old senator warned that the election is “not about 2016” but instead “an election for the heart and soul of the Republican Party.” He warned that the current GOP front-runner Donald Trump cannot defeat a Democrat like Hillary Clinton “without some major adjustments.”
Having mustered little support in the polls, Graham’s exit will not have an immediate effect on the race in the final stretch before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary. But his decision could produce a ripple effect in his home state, which follows New Hampshire with a Feb. 20 primary. Graham will likely be a highly sought-after endorsement for those still in the race, though he’s given no indication of who he would back.
By ending his campaign, Graham deprives the GOP field of perhaps its most aggressive military hawk – he said even before the June 1 launch of his campaign that more American servicemen and women “will die in Iraq and eventually in Syria to protect our homeland.” That was often a stark contrast to other candidates who joined Graham in blasting President Barack Obama as weak in his approach to Islamic State militants but hedged when it came to questions of ground forces.
Graham also takes with him a wry sense of humor that he showcased on the campaign trail and in debates – though he never did qualify for one of the prime-time sessions and was instead relegated to the earlier undercard events.
When Trump gave out Graham’s cellphone number at a South Carolina campaign stop, Graham answered with a satirical video in which he attempts – multiple times – to destroy his phone. Jabbing at Clinton over her use of a private server, he mocked his own computer illiteracy, saying he’s never sent an email at all.
Graham plunged into the contest highlighting his foreign affairs experience in the Senate and arguing that newcomers need not apply for a job that offers no chance for “on-the-job training.” At the time, anything was possible because the mob of GOP candidates had no clear leader. But over the summer, political neophytes like Trump and Ben Carson surged to the front of the pack and forced far better-known candidates, such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, to fight for support.