Why Lindsey Graham Isn’t Afraid of a Conservative Challenger

By Stacy Kaper

Two-term Sen. Lindsey Graham expects a primary challenge from the right, making his starring role in immigration reform a confounding political vulnerability for the South Carolina Republican.

Graham knows it, too. But he thinks he’s correct—on both the policy and the politics. Graham says his position on immigration is in line with voters’ evolving sentiment on the issue—namely, that voters in South Carolina oppose the “de facto amnesty” in place under the current “broken” system. And it has not gone unnoticed by Republican strategists that Graham enjoys some political cover created by conservative Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., stepping out front on immigration.

But just in case he’s wrong, Graham is raising buckets of cash and getting in front of voters—a lot.

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The conservative Club for Growth has picked Graham as a top target for 2014 and is closely monitoring his votes and the candidates who enter his primary field. Groups opposed to immigration reform, such as NumbersUSA, are running ads against Graham in South Carolina.

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http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/why-lindsey-graham-isn-t-afraid-of-a-conservative-challenger-20130508