- Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham faced her Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison in her first debate on Saturday amid attempts to raise the Democrats’ record-shattering fund.
- Harrison’s podium was set 13 feet away from Graham and was made of Plexiglass partition.
- “It’s not just about me, it’s about the people in my life that I have to take care of, as well as my two boys, my wife, my grandmother,” Harris said.
- The incident comes after several Republican senators and others in President Donald Trump’s inner circle tested positive for the coronavirus, although Graham tested negative.
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In the first debate in his race that has shattered records of fund-raising and engaging in a Senate contest overseeing this cycle, South Carolina’s U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham and Democratic challenger Jaime Harris drew a number of contradictions between their campaigns, but both presented themselves as such. Ready to work towards the wing to achieve legal progress.
Candidates spoke at a distance of 13 feet from the podiums. Harrison’s podium was welded to the side of Graham by a Plexiglas partition, using what was said in the campaign in accordance with federal recommendations that anyone in close contact with a COVID-19 infected person should be isolated for 14 days.
Both candidates say they tested negative on Friday, but Graham recently met with other Senate Republicans – many of whom tested positive for coronavirus – as well as Trump, who is currently hospitalized in Covid-19.
“You have nothing to fear when it comes to me,” Graham told Harrison in his opening statement, referring to Plexiglass.
Regarding their split, Harris said he was taking every precaution to protect himself and his loved ones.
“It’s not just about me, it’s about the people in my life that I have to take care of, as well as my two boys, my wife, my grandmother,” Harris said.
He added that they are taking the virus seriously, especially after his great-aunt died in a nursing home in July.
Graham and Harrison rallied over Republican efforts to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominee ahead of the election.
In pursuit of a fourth term, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Graham also argued the case for his main congressional goal at the moment: the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s recent Supreme Court candidacy.
After Harrison – a fellow Democratic National Committee chairman and former lobbyist – said Saturday night that he and his wife were still paying off their student loans, Graham spoke back, seeing what he saw about Harrison’s income from the declared tax return. ” You’re a millionaire, and you can’t pay off your student loan? “
Harrison describes himself as willing to work with Republicans on a variety of issues, while as Democratic chairman of the state, when he became close friends with his GOP counterpart. He also criticized the former legislator’s earlier support for the 12-year term, adding, “I believe the deadline is in the power of the people here in South Carolina.”
In response, Graham encouraged himself as a Conservative ignorant to work with Democrats, citing issues such as immigration, and told voters, “You can limit my term to November 3 if you want.”
From his opening remarks and in almost every response to the hour-long debate, Graham worked in support of a consensual judiciary, and in particular for Amy Connie Barrett, whom he called a “buffer of liberalism” whom he hoped would not “behave like Kavanagh.” His next confirmation hearing.
It was Greatham’s Brett Cavanaugh’s fiery 2018 defense that helped cement his current relationship with Trump, as well as renewed support with some who did not see Graham as sufficiently conservative to represent South Carolina. At the time, Graham said on Saturday that he now says નમાં 100 million is being poured into Harrison’s campaign and his support groups to oust Graham.
“Where is all this money coming from?” Graham asked. “It’s about liberals hating my gurus when I’m standing up to Kavanagh. It’s about helping President Trump.”
Harrison (Graham) convicted Graham, 65, of what he called “contradictory positions” on whether he should fill Supreme Court vacancies in a presidential election year.
“Senator, you said ‘use my words against me,'” Harris said, referring to Graham’s 2018 comments on the subject. “You promised that no judicial candidate should be allowed during the last year of the election. … How good is your word?”
Graham has repeatedly pointed to the support of President Barack Obama’s two Supreme Court nominees, saying Barrett is being confirmed because the president has a constitutional right to do so.
Graham and Republican leaders faced questions about their response to the coronavirus
The ongoing epidemic also played a role both on stage and in the debate structure. Columbia’s historically black institution Allen University did not allow any public members to attend the event. Inside media and campaign personnel were dispersed and were required to complete the disclosure without revealing any coronavirus infection or symptoms.
After several senators announced a positive test for COVID-19, Republican leaders announced on Saturday that they would stay away from the legislature until Oct. 19, with the leadership saying Barrett’s trial would not begin in October. 12. Two committee members recently contracted coronavirus. , Graham said Friday that senators will be able to participate virtually.
Asked about the number of public officials who recently signed a contract with COWID, Graham reiterated his commitment to keeping the economy and government functioning amid the epidemic, noting that “the virus is a problem that has come out of China, not the Trump Tower.”
He also accused Trump critics of unjustly attacking the president for dealing with a highly contagious virus.
“President Wilson contracted the Spanish flu just after World War I. And we live in such an unusual time – I suspect someone attacked him,” Graham said.
Officials with Harrison’s campaign said they raised 40 340,000 during the debate and the time that followed. Graham’s campaign said they “don’t discuss that number.” The two are scheduled to discuss on October 9.