U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham often receives verbal slaps from the more conservative voices in South Carolina’s GOP, but a recent censure by the Charleston County Republican Party’s executive committee is more like a slap in the face.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham
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The Nov. 9 censure resolution doesn’t mince words.
“U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in the name of bipartisanship continues to weaken the Republican brand and tarnish the ideals of freedom, rule of law and fiscal conservatism,” the resolution states.
Charleston’s GOP chair, Lin Bennett, says there are a lot of problems with Graham’s positions, but his support of the “cap and trade” approach to limiting carbon emissions is “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
The resolution references Graham’s cooperation with U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on a bipartisan energy bill.
Asked to respond, Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop says anyone concerned about the senator’s conservatism should look at his record. Graham has maintained a “conservative” voting record of 85 percent and is rated the 15th most conservative senator by the National Journal.
“Like former President Reagan, he strongly believes elected officials need to find common ground and work together to solve difficult problems like making our nation energy independent and protecting our environment,” Bishop says.
The censure has raised eyebrows, but it might be too early to predict a political burial for the Seneca native, who has held his seat since 2002.
“He has always come to loggerheads with the purists in his own party, which is why he gets so many independent — and even some Democratic — votes,” says Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University.
But to subscribe to “the sky is falling” scenario, Huffman says, you’d have to forget that he has a gigantic war chest.
Huffmon notes that Graham’s primary margin of victory has always been smaller than in the general election, but also concedes that a censure goes beyond “business as usual” for Graham.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, whose profile among Republicans is higher than ever, remains a staunch supporter of Graham.
“Lindsey Graham has been a great leader for our state and party,” Wilson says in a statement. “Ronald Reagan always said that people who agree with you 80 percent of the time should be considered a good friend. Reagan was a wise man and if we want to build a strong, vibrant Republican Party we should follow his advice.”
State Republican Party Chairwoman Karen Floyd’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
But Katon Dawson, the former state GOP chairman, supported Graham.
“At the end of the day, what we are looking for is offshore drilling for natural gas and Lindsey got that in the bill,” Dawson told the Huffington Post, a political web site.
The censure comes in the wake of an advertising campaign launched by the American Energy Alliance attacking Graham for his support of that bill.
Graham is fighting back with his own televised ad campaign featuring a prominent Midlands lawmaker, S.C. Sen. John Courson.
In the ad, Courson dismisses the attack as an effort by “big oil” to defeat an important energy bill.
Voters have plenty of time to mull over the issues. Graham is not up for reelection until 2014. | 
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