Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Chuck Grassley |
| United States Senator from South Carolina | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 Serving with Tim Scott | |
| Preceded by | Strom Thurmond |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Butler Derrick |
| Succeeded by | Gresham Barrett |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 2nd district | |
| In office January 12, 1993 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Lowell Ross |
| Succeeded by | Bill Sandifer III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lindsey Olin Graham July 9, 1955 Central, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of South Carolina (BA, JD) |
| Website | Senate website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1982–1988 (Active) 1989–1995 (Air National Guard) 1995–2015 (Reserve) |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Unit | U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps |
Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States Senator from South Carolina, serving in office since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He ran for President in 2016.
Early life[change | change source]
Graham was born on July 9, 1955 in Central, South Carolina.[1] his parents were Millie and Florence James "F.J." Graham. He studied at the University of South Carolina.
U.S. senator (2003-present)[change | change source]
In 2002, Graham ran for the U.S. Senate after eight-term Republican incumbent Strom Thurmond announced his retirement. Graham won the primary unopposed and defeated Democratic opponent Alex Sanders in the general election.
Graham was re-elected to a second term in 2008, defeating Bob Conley. He won a third term in 2014, defeating Democrat Brad Hutto and Independent Thomas Ravenel.
Graham is known in the Senate for his support for a strong national defense, his support of the military, and as an advocate of strong United States leadership in world affairs.[2] He is also known for his willingness to be bipartisan and work with Democrats on issues like global warming, tax reform and immigration reform and his belief that judicial nominees should not be opposed solely on their philosophical positions.[3][4][5][6][7][8] He is also a critic of the Tea Party movement.
During his political career, Graham never lost an election.[9]
2016 presidential campaign[change | change source]
On May 18, 2015, Graham informally announced his candidacy for President of the United States; he made a formal announcement on June 1 in his hometown of Central, South Carolina.[10] After low polling numbers, Graham withdrew from the race on December 21, 2015.[11] He later announced his support for Jeb Bush for president.
Personal life[change | change source]
Graham has never been married and has no children. He was close friends with the late Arizona senator John McCain.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Lindsey Graham, a Twang of Moderation". The Washington Post. October 7, 1998.
- ↑ Juanna Summers, "5 Things You Should Know About Lindsey Graham," NPR-All Politics, May 31, 2015.[1]
- ↑ Jonathan Martin (May 9, 2013). "Lindsey Graham faces down primary challenge". Politico. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ↑ James Podgers (August 5, 2012). "Sen. Lindsey Graham: Qualifications of Judicial Nominees Should Count More Than Politics". ABA Journal. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ↑ Harold Maass (May 9, 2013). "Is Lindsey Graham going to get primaried?". The Week. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ↑ Linda Killian (June 10, 2014). "Lindsey Graham vs. the Tea Party". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ↑ Patrik Jonsson (June 11, 2014). "The un-Cantor: Sen. Lindsey Graham wins by poking eye of tea party (+video)". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ↑ Alex Altman (November 5, 2013). "Lindsey Graham: The Bipartisan Dealmaker Finds Issues to Please GOP Base". Time magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Lindsey Graham launches presidential campaign". USA Today.
- ↑ Rappeport, Alan (1 June 2015). "Lindsey Graham Announces Presidential Bid". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "Republican Lindsey Graham quits 2016 race". BBC News. 21 December 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
Other websites[change | change source]
- United States Senator Lindsey Graham official U.S. Senate site
- Lindsey Graham for U.S. Senate official campaign site
- Profile Archived 2013-06-17 at the Wayback Machine at SourceWatch
- "Swing Conservative: The perilous bipartisanship of Lindsey Graham." Archived 2005-11-04 at the Wayback Machine Washington Monthly, April 2005
- "The American Ghosts of Abu Ghraib", Sam Provance, Consortium News, March 27, 2007
