Thriller in South Carolina had a face to face last night…..
Jaime Harrison and Lindsey Graham have been battling it out over the airwaves for months. On Saturday night, as the surprisingly competitive South Carolina Senate race has reached a fever pitch, they finally met face-to-face on the debate stage.
Harrison accused Graham of flip flopping on his word and breaking the trust of his voters. Graham, the three-term GOP incumbent, warned South Carolinians they wouldn’t recognize their country if Democrats took control in Washington.
Those two arguments took center stage in a fiery debate held one month before Election Day. The two disagreed on Covid-19 response, the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation fight Graham will head, and police reform, among a host of other issues — including the flood of TV ads unleashed on the state, thanks to Harrison’s prodigious fundraising and the late involvement of super PACs from both parties in a race that is unexpectedly competitive…
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The two also clashed repeatedly over a host of other issues, including schools reopening during the pandemic, health care coverage and police brutality and the question of systemic racism in policing. Graham continually aimed to tie Harrison to the most liberal elements of the Democratic Party, but also said he had the “political scars” to prove his bipartisanship, referencing his poor reputation among conservatives in past elections where he faced primary challenges.
Harrison pushed back on the attacks linking him to more liberal elements in his party, saying clearly that he did not support defunding police and accused Graham of misleading viewers. Harrison, however, didn’t discuss his party or potential control of the chamber, but kept his focus in the debate squarely on Graham’s record in Washington and argued he had not delivered for the state….
image…Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, left, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, right, R-S.C., face off in the South Carolina U.S. Senate debate at Allen University in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP)