A long-serving Republican senator whom many feel has become a ‘RINO’ – a Republican In Name Only – due to his varied stances on positions that most GOP voters don’t back is facking a potentially tough primary challenge.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is facing a challenging re-election campaign as his favorability among Republican primary voters declines, according to a new survey from one of the most reliable pollsters.
The poll, conducted by Quantus Insights, surveyed 600 registered voters in South Carolina between June 10 and 13. Overall, Graham’s approval rating stands at 41 percent, while 46 percent disapprove, and 13 percent remain undecided.
Among Republican respondents, 22 percent said they will “definitely” support a challenger in the upcoming primary, with another 23 percent indicating they will “probably” back a challenger against the longtime senator. Just 34 percent of Republican voters said they will “definitely” back Graham in the primary, while a sizable number, 21 percent, remain undecided.
As of this report, it is still uncertain whether Senator Graham will face more challengers in the primary. South Carolina businessman Mark Lynch has already declared his candidacy and shared positive internal polling results. However, the Quantus Insights survey suggests that a significant portion of voters remain undecided.
In a head-to-head matchup between Mark Lynch and Senator Lindsey Graham, 48 percent of respondents indicated support for Graham, while 23 percent backed Lynch. Meanwhile, 29 percent of voters remained undecided. Last month, Lynch’s campaign released internal polling that aligned with the Quantus Insights survey in showing Graham’s approval rating below 50 percent. According to that poll, 57 percent of Republican primary voters in South Carolina said they “would not vote for Lindsey Graham if the election were held today.”
When questioned about Graham’s record, only 37 percent of likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina said they would support him, while 28 percent remained undecided. “At a time when the career politicians in D.C. are digging in their heels, and despite the fact that Trump needs all the allies he can get in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House,” Lynch said.
“Lindsey Graham voted against codifying Trump’s and Elon’s DOGE reforms. He’s working behind the scenes to scuttle Trump’s nominees. He just recently voted to send more cash to Ukraine with USAID, and Lindsey even pushed budget legislation Trump publicly opposes,” he added.
