SC’s Lindsey Graham vows to donate $1 million to Georgia Republicans facing runoff
South Carolina’s senior U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham vowed during a Fox and Friends appearance Thursday to donate $1 million from his campaign to Republicans running contentious Senate races in Georgia.
In a later statement, his campaign revealed that the Seneca Republican fundraised even more money directly for the campaigns.
Graham also challenged other Republicans in Congress to help fundraise for U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who will face off against Democratic challengers during a runoff race Jan. 5.
“I’ve got two million donors, and I’m going to ask my donors to help Georgia,” Graham said.
Graham’s campaign announced Thursday afternoon that it had donated the money to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. According to the campaign, Graham also separately raised $1.1 million, which went directly to Loeffler and Perdue’s campaigns.
“The stakes could not be higher in these two hotly contested elections, and I will be doing everything in my power to make sure that my colleagues, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, return to the Senate,” Graham said in a statement. “I will continue working to ensure our Republican team has the resources to deliver big victories in January.”
The Seneca Republican said he hopes his donation could fight a “tsunami of liberal money” that is expected to be donated to Democratic challengers, Pastor Raphael Warnock and documentary film maker Jon Ossoff.
“The Democrats outspent us in 2020 probably three to one,” Graham said on Fox and Friends. “My opponent raised $140 million through the Act Blue giving app where liberals all over America can send small donations in to Democratic candidates.”
“If we don’t combat Act Blue, we’re in trouble,” Graham said.
During his own sSenate race, Graham was outfundraised by Democrat Jaime Harrison. Both races set records throughout the election cycle, and ultimately both pulled in more than $100 million each.
The Georgia races are expected to be flooded with cash in the weeks leading up to the run off. CNBC reported that Republicans alone are expected to bring in at least $100 million. Former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams raised $6 million alone for the race.
While a win in Georgia was once a sure thing for Republicans, the southern state looks poised to flip for former Vice President Joe Biden. With Biden leading by about 13,000 votes, the state’s election officials announced they would do a recount by hand.
The close margin spells trouble for Loeffler and Perdue, who each failed to secure 50% of the vote on election night, triggering a run off. Perdue secured 49.7% of the vote, while Ossoff pulled in 48%, according to the Associated Press. Loeffler was involved in a special election and split the vote with several challengers. Loeffler and Warnock qualified for the run off, with Warnock securing 32.9% of the vote and the incumbent senator winning 25.9% of the vote, according to the AP.
If Democrats win both races, the Senate will be split 50-50 along partisan lines, leaving Vice President Elect Kamala Harris, a former senator herself, as the deciding vote in any partisan ties. With the Democrats holding a solid majority in the House, that would mean the liberal party could more easily pass legislation during the first years of Biden’s presidency.
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 1:38 PM with the headline "SC’s Lindsey Graham vows to donate $1 million to Georgia Republicans facing runoff."
