South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham announced this morning that he has dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Despite a long career in politics, Graham was never able to get the national support needed to remain a major threat to the frontrunners.
Graham, 60, announced his decision on YouTube, insisting that he still has made an impact on the race. Specifically, Graham pointed out that at the first debate, no one supported his belief that more American troops in Syria and Iraq are needed to combat ISIS. But now, Graham said, others have started to support this.
The three-term Senator also issued another statement, noting that he is not going to endorse any candidate right away. “While I am not prepared to make an endorsement, I will continue to speak out in support of candidates who share my commitment to defeating ISIL & solving our nation’s most difficult problems,” he said.
Again, despite his long experience and memorable statements during debates, Graham never polled above single digits during his run. As USA Today notes, Arizona Sen. John McCain praised Graham’s campaign and his positions.
“Despite the disadvantages he faced in resources and debate opportunities, Lindsey’s message of serious statesmanship and problem-solving in public affairs, his forthright opposition to policies and attitudes that would endanger our country and reflect poorly on our party, and his genuine decency and humility won him many new admirers,” McCain said Monday.
Amazingly, this is Graham’s first major political defeat. He was first elected to Washington as a Representative for South Carolina in 1995 and first won election to the Senate in 2003. He also just retired from the Air Force Reserves after 33 years.
Graham also has a wicked sense of humor, which was on display after Donald Trump decided to give out Graham's personal cell phone number.