WASHINGTON _ An announcement could be imminent that a prominent South Carolina Democrat plans to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2020.
Jaime Harrison _ a former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman who now holds a leadership position with the Democratic National Committee _ is meeting with Democratic leaders of the State House and Senate on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The meetings are a chance for Harrison to personally communicate his interest in the U.S. Senate seat to the state's most prominent elected officials, a courtesy in advance of making any formal announcement.
In a meeting Tuesday with the South Carolina House Minority Caucus, Harrison spent 10 minutes behind closed doors addressing assembled lawmakers. He got a warm reception as he worked the room, hugging state representatives he has known for years.
"It's great seeing members, friends that I've had for a long time. It's good chatting with them about my thoughts and the potential here in South Carolina," Harrison told The State newspaper in an interview after the meeting. "We really do think the South and South Carolina is on the cusp of some major changes, but it's going to take a lot of energy, hard work, effort and unity. Unity is really, really important for a minority party. That was the crux of the discussion."
Harrison did not make any official announcements or ask legislators for money, but he acknowledged that beating Graham, who has more than $3 million cash on hand, would "take a lot of money."
Harrison has been hinting heavily that he would explore challenging Graham since last fall, incensed over Graham's forceful defense of then-Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Since that time, Harrison has seized on every opportunity to establish a paper trail on Twitter of opposition to Graham, whether it's taking issue with his policy positions, his conservative rhetoric or his full-throated support of President Donald Trump.
Should Harrison jump into the race, he would face steep odds in defeating Graham, a 24-year incumbent of the U.S. House and Senate combined. He is now the chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, where he'll play a role in confirming Trump's conservative judges _ perhaps another Supreme Court justice.
Graham has also never been more popular with the GOP base at home and nationally after his defense of Kavanaugh, which made him a sought-after main attraction at campaign events for Republican candidates across the country in the weeks before the 2018 midterms.
But Harrison would likely be as strong a candidate the Democrats could imagine fielding, given his connections to the party inside the state and his ties to national Democrats who could help him raise money and boost his profile.
He would have an incredibly strong backer in U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democratic Party kingmaker. Harrison used to work for Clyburn on Capitol Hill and considers the congressman a mentor. Clyburn would undoubtedly prioritize helping Harrison make connections to prominent fundraisers and appear with him at events.
"Many of the gains we made in the South this last cycle, I worked on," Harrison said, laying out his experience working to promote the party brand as associate chairman of the DNC. "I launched the DNC rural tour in Kansas. I was on a bus going all over the state of Texas, where we picked up some House seats, and even came here to South Carolina where (South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman) Trav (Robertson) and I did some stops in Beaufort and Charleston counties on behalf of some State House candidates we had."
At an event in Greenville, S.C., on Monday, Graham didn't say whether he was worried about a possible Democratic challenge but cautioned Republicans the party must be vigilant in protecting South Carolina _ and other southern states _ against Democratic takeovers.
"A word of warning: They are coming after us. Big time. The South is beginning to change," Graham said. "Virginia is not the Virginia it was four years ago. Our friends in North Carolina: Trump won, but it was close. Georgia: There's gonna be a contest from hell in Georgia. South Carolina. We're not gonna rest on our laurels."
On Tuesday, Harrison said he agreed Republicans should be worried about Democratic gains in the South.
"Things are changing. People are no longer scared in the South to claim they are a member of the Democratic Party. They're seeing what's coming out of the Republican Party, and they're at least open to taking another look at the Democratic Party, and that's all we can ask," Harrison said. "It's going to be incumbent upon us to make the case about why they should vote for us and our candidates."
