Lindsey Graham

Graham was born in Seneca, South Carolina in 1955. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina in 1977 and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1981. Graham served in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 1988 and the South Carolina Air National Guard from 1989 to 1995. He has served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Graham's work experience included being a lawyer in private practice. He served as Assistant County Attorney for Oconee County, South Carolina, city attorney for Central, South Carolina, in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1992 to 1994, and the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.[2]

Lindsey Graham did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Lindsey Graham did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Graham’s campaign website stated the following:

Jobs and the Economy

Lindsey Graham understands that the way to create jobs and build a strong economy is to let Americans keep more of what they earn and get the government out of the way. Raised in the back room of a small bar, restaurant, and liquor store owned and operated by his parents, Senator Graham saw first-hand the tremendous work it takes to run a small business and the invaluable contributions they make to a community.

Lower taxes. Less regulation. A smaller, smarter, more efficient government. Those are the values and priorities Lindsey Graham has fought for as a senator in Washington.

In 2017, Senator Graham was a leading advocate for the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a historic tax reform package that spurred unprecedented economic growth throughout the country. In the wake of the agenda of deregulation and private enterprise empowerment championed by Senator Graham and President Trump, South Carolina experienced record low unemployment preceding the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator Graham has also been a strong advocate for South Carolina’s farming and agribusiness community through his support of numerous farm bills. He has been at the forefront of promoting our state’s speciality crops, fighting back against unfair trade practices, and ensuring that there is an adequate supply of legal labor for our farms.

Working extensively with the electric cooperatives in South Carolina, Senator Graham has supported efforts to expand affordable electricity and broadband to rural areas of the state. He has helped the coops champion energy efficiency measures that collectively save our state’s residents millions of dollars every year.

To assist South Carolina’s tourism industry, he helped pass the Brand USA reauthorization which promotes South Carolina to international travelers and has generated over 173,000 visitors and $1.5 billion in tax revenue, while supporting over 190,000 jobs. He also was a lead author of the RESTAURANTS Act which would create a $120 billion revitalization fund to help independent restaurants overcome COVID-19 challenges.

Finally, Senator Graham supports a major infrastructure bill that will help rebuild our nation’s crumbling roads, bridges, ports, and airports. He has been a longtime supporter of I-73 to help with traffic going to and from Myrtle Beach — both for tourism and hurricane evacuation efforts.

Supporting South Carolina

Here at home, Senator Graham is an integral member of #TeamSouthCarolina, which is the economic development effort designed to bring new business to the Palmetto State. Senator Graham was one of the first officials to meet with Boeing and let them know South Carolina was interested in becoming the second 787 Dreamliner production site. He played another leading role in talks with Volvo in their decision to locate a $1.1 billion manufacturing facility in Berkeley County.

Lindsey Graham secured the initial, critical funding to study and kick off the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project. He has led the South Carolina congressional delegation’s efforts in pushing for planning, design, and actual construction funding of the project. With one in ten jobs in South Carolina tied to the Port of Charleston, Senator Graham is proud to have helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for the economic engine of South Carolina.

While working tirelessly to help South Carolina to become a modern manufacturing giant in the aviation, automotive and tire industries, Senator Graham has worked hand in hand with our textile manufacturers to help combat currency manipulation and intellectual property theft by China. He has helped the textile industry identify important manufacturing opportunities with the Department of Defense, and he has led the effort to bring our medical supply chain back from overseas.

Nearly every major company in South Carolina has a story to tell about how Senator Graham assisted their operations. Countless constituent companies have worked with Senator Graham on issues ranging from steel and aluminum tariffs to EPA regulations. He has solved issues as complex as helping South Carolina manufacturers execute multi-million dollar Foreign Military Sales to allies and as simple as ensuring allowing our companies to compete for opportunities on a level playing field.

To assist South Carolina’s tourism industry, Senator Graham has successfully worked to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This fund has provided over $61 million in grants to more than 1,100 recreational projects across the state. Some recipients of this funding include Beaufort’s Waterfront Park, Glencairn Gardens in Rock Hill, and Caesars Head State Park in Cleveland.

Lindsey Graham will continue to put the needs of taxpayers first and foremost by promoting policies that create jobs and a strong economy in South Carolina.

A Strong America , A Strong Military

Lindsey Graham believes a strong and safe America is only possible with a strong United States military.

He supports better pay for our troops, cutting-edge equipment for our soldiers, and strong alliances which help keep us safe here at home.

Senator Graham has pushed for policies in the fight against radical Islam which protect American citizens, the homeland, and our long-term national security interests. One leading conservative wrote that when it comes to defending America, “[Lindsey] Graham has been right about more things on foreign policy for longer than just about anyone.”

Lindsey Graham wore the uniform of the United States Air Force for more than 30 years serving on active duty, in the South Carolina Air National Guard, and U.S. Air Force Reserves where he retired at the rank of Colonel.

Senator Graham has traveled the globe meeting with countless world leaders in an effort to protect American interests and promote American values. He has visited Iraq and Afghanistan over 50 times.

While America remains the leader of the free world, Senator Graham knows we need to enlist the help of friends and allies to accomplish our shared goals of peace and prosperity.

The right to vote. The rights of women. The promotion of human rights. Senator Graham’s leadership has given him a direct line to the President and world leaders when it comes to discussing the toughest issues around the globe.

Judges and Protecting the Constitution

This is Lindsey Graham’s record on judges:

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Over 200 district and court of appeals judges – nominated by President Trump – confirmed for lifetime appointments to the federal bench.

When he assumed the role of Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Graham made clear his priority: “Judges, judges, and more judges.”

Today, 20 percent of all current federal judges were nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.

Senator Graham has made good on his promise.

Health Care

Health care is one of the most important issues for Americans.

First, Lindsey Graham believes no American should be denied medical coverage or insurance due to a preexisting condition.

Second, Senator Graham favors health care solutions which put patients – not government bureaucrats – in charge of medical decisions.

Third, Senator Graham opposes “Medicare for All,” which puts the government in complete control of the health care system.

So what’s the best way to bring down health care costs, cover more people, and make health insurance more affordable? Redirect money and power over health care decisions away from Washington and return it to patients, local communities, and states.

Just like no two patients are the same, no two states have the same health care populations and health care needs. Simply put, what works in Massachusetts may not work in South Carolina. And what works in South Carolina may not work in California.

That one-size-fits-all thinking is one of the many failures of Obamacare which centralizes money and decision-making in Washington.

Instead of continuing to empower Washington, Senator Graham supports returning money to the states and empowering local communities to explore and utilize health care solutions that work for them.

Recognizing the unique needs of South Carolina’s rural population, he has used the Appropriations process to bring millions of dollars to telehealth efforts, which aim to ensure every South Carolinian has access to quality medical care, regardless of where they live.

Senator Graham has also been at the forefront of funding important medical research. He is a co-chair of the Senate’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) Caucus, which has successfully secured billions of dollars of additional funding.

The Right to Life

When it comes to protecting the right to life, very few have done more for the cause than Lindsey Graham.

He has compiled a proud record of achievement and support in the pro-life cause.

Twice, South Carolina Citizens for Life have named him their Legislator of the Year.

An ‘A’ rating from the Susan B. Anthony List National Pro-Life scorecard.

100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee.

Senator Graham is the author of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which bans abortion after 20-weeks when an unborn child can feel pain. Only seven nations in the world allow abortion on demand after 20 weeks — including Iran and North Korea, and Senator Graham feels strongly America should not be in this notorious club.

Senator Graham’s long pro-life voting record includes support for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban, Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

The president of South Carolina Citizens for Life recently remarked, “When it comes to pro-life legislation, Senator Graham doesn’t just vote the right way — he leads the way.”

Second Amendment

Lindsey Graham is a strong supporter of Americans’ right to “keep and bear arms” as specified in the Second Amendment of the Constitution. As an owner of multiple guns himself, Senator Graham has been a steadfast protector of law-abiding gun owners. He is proud to receive high marks from organizations advocating for responsible gun ownership, including a 100% rating from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Lindsey Graham is also committed to ending the scourge of senseless gun violence perpetrated by individuals who obtained firearms illegally. In the case of the Parkland shooter in Florida, the FBI and local police officers made numerous house calls due to complaints about the eventual shooter. Still, they were unable to take any action to disarm him before he killed seventeen innocent students. Working with members of both parties, Senator Graham has introduced legislation to create a federal grant program to assist law enforcement in coordinating with mental health professionals so preemptive action can be taken to stop known troubled individuals before they strike. This legislation is accompanied by robust due process to ensure no guns are taken from owners without just cause and swift due process.

COVID-19

Lindsey Graham has worked to mobilize all of the federal government’s resources in response to the worst pandemic that the world has seen in over 100 years. In March, Senator Graham voted in favor of the $2 trillion relief package, the CARES Act. This historic package brought nearly $2 billion of aid to South Carolina to help local hospitals, schools, and more. Hundreds of billions of additional dollars were provided to low and moderate income families, small businesses, employees, and those unemployed through no fault of their own.

While the CARES Act was a critical first step, more is needed to combat COVID-19 and get our economy moving again.

First, Senator Graham will continue to work closely with the Trump administration to ensure the speedy discovery of therapeutics to lessen the severity of this virus and a vaccine to prevent further spread.

Next, Senator Graham supports additional stimulus payments to low and moderate income families, and he supports providing funding to help schools reopen safely.

He also supports reforming unemployment benefits so people make up to 100% of their income but aren’t disincentivized from going back to work. He has authored legislation that would do just that. Congress must also pass liability protections to ensure that businesses aren’t sued for reopening when they follow the rules. Without this, businesses will be overwhelmed with lawsuits.

Senator Graham is also working to ensure we hold China accountable for the role they played in allowing the virus to spread. He introduced a sanctions bill aimed at forcing China to cooperate with all investigations into the virus.

It’s estimated that 90 percent of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used in the United States today is made in China. Senator Graham is leading the effort to bring the medical supply chain home and manufacture PPE in the United States. That’s why he wrote the US MADE Act, which will ensure PPE is made here in America and treated as a resource on par with military equipment. This legislation was one of the foundational components of the Senate’s new legislation to address the virus.

Combatting this virus is a team effort, and Senator Graham believes all Americans should closely follow CDC guidelines to keep themselves safe, which can be found here.[25]

—Lindsey Graham’s campaign website (2020)[26]