Former chair of South Carolina’s Democratic Party, Jaime Harrison, launched his campaign on Wednesday for the U.S. Senate seat in 2020. The position has been held by Senator Lindsey Graham since 2003.
What We Know:
- Harrison—who served as a senior aide to U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn—is currently serving as an associate chair for the Democratic National Committee. He previously ran for the role of DNC chairman in 2017 but dropped out and later endorsed current Democratic chief Tom Perez.
- In his comic book-themed campaign video, Harrison highlights his upbringing in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and casts himself as a candidate that will “fight for all South Carolinians, regardless of party.” He also calls out Graham as “a guy who will say anything to stay in office.” The video features old clips of Graham calling Trump “crazy” and a “kook” during the 2016 presidential campaign, followed by clips of Graham praising Trump.
- Harrison estimated that he needed a minimum of $10 million to compete and plans on doing whatever it takes to get the money and resources necessary to win, according to The State. So far Harrison has raised almost $250 thousand in his first seven weeks but still has some ways to go to catch up with Graham.
- Harrison is expected to face a challenging battle against Graham, however, he is hopeful that he will gain support from the residents of the predominantly red state. In 2014, Graham beat multiple democratic opponents and won re-election by more than 16 percent.
No Democrat has won a statewide race in South Carolina since 2006. If Harrison wins, he’d be the first Democrat elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate since 1998.
