Sen. Lindsey Graham is almost certain he’s running for president, and running with a different Republican take on immigration.
Graham, R-S.C., told Capitol Download, USA Today’s weekly series, he’s “98.6 percent sure” he’s running. He’s expected to formally announce in a few weeks.
Graham, a decided longshot, will stand out in one way: Unlike most other declared potential Republican candidates, he supports a path to citizenship for immigrants not legally in this country.
"If I were president of the United States, I would veto any bill that did not have a pathway to citizenship," Graham, told the program, which airs Sunday morning. "You would have a long, hard path to citizenship ... but I want to create that path because I don't like the idea of millions of people living in America for the rest of their lives being the hired help. That's not who we are."
His view, notes USA Today, is a counter to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who earlier this week took a concilatory stance on immigration, saying she would expand President Barack Obama’s initiative that permits young people brought into the United States illegally to avoid being deported. No Republican, she charged, is backing a path to citizenship. Graham has opposed Obama’s executive action.
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