Lee Bright challenging Lindsey Graham

[dinosaur]

I haven't seen anything here about Lee Bright, so I just wanted to call attention to the fact that he is challenging Lindsey Graham. Lee endorsed Ron Paul before the SC primary.

Youtube of a speech at a gun rights rally:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zOjhN-9i0k

His marksmanship in schools bill is certainly worthy of admiration as well.
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20130118/ARTICLES/130119624

[eduardo89]

Here are two interviews I recorded on the day he announced:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qi2dRQCF9o


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iUJ6V5I5m0

[Brian4Liberty]

We've certainly had a few threads about Bright and Mace challenging Graham. Maybe they didn't get bumped enough for anyone but the regular candidate watchers to notice?

[Origanalist]

Posting to make this easier to find. Is there a better challenger against this contemptible human offal?

[Brian4Liberty]

Posting to make this easier to find. Is there a better challenger against this contemptible human offal?

Bright is probably the best. Mace is good too. The idea here is to force a run-off.

[jjdoyle]

Bright is probably the best. Mace is good too. The idea here is to force a run-off.

Yeah, and they need to ALL be concentrating on Graham. Sure, they might all want to win, but if a run-off is the best bet, then they need to know that weakening Graham is key.

[XTreat]

I lean toward Bright over Mace. I think he is the real liberty candidate and I have had the pleasure of speaking with him at length about foreign policy

[ClydeCoulter]

Yeah, and they need to ALL be concentrating on Graham. Sure, they might all want to win, but if a run-off is the best bet, then they need to know that weakening Graham is key.

Yes. Mace "accidently" making Bright look better and Bright "accidently" making Mace look better than Graham would be helpful, also.

[dinosaur]

Bright is probably the best. Mace is good too. The idea here is to force a run-off.

I hope Mace has crossover appeal. For either Bright or Mace to win. Graham will have to come in third. Democrats vote in the primary in SC.

[jjdoyle]

I hope Mace has crossover appeal. For either Bright or Mace to win. Graham will have to come in third. Democrats vote in the primary in SC.

Has that ever had much of an impact in a race that we know about? Would be curious if a candidate used the crossover appeal in an effective manner and won with it when they weren't expected to do so in SC.

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

I prefer him over Mace but she is also good and probably a much more formidable candidate against Graham in a runoff.

[dinosaur]

Has that ever had much of an impact in a race that we know about? Would be curious if a candidate used the crossover appeal in an effective manner and won with it when they weren't expected to do so in SC.

My point was that there needs to be a candidate in the primary who is able to split the Graham vote in order for Bright to win.

[Peace&Freedom]

There are lots of unknowns here. Will Bright and Mace split the Graham vote, or will they split each other? Do either have enough independent Tea Party support to do well? Who might the Pauls endorse? And is the effort worth it, for a seat with an entenched incumbent like Graham? Are we letting our intense dislike of the incumbent warhawk get in the way of a sober assessment that taking his seat may be very unlikely?

[sl7yz0r]

There are lots of unknowns here. Will Bright and Mace split the Graham vote, or will they split each other? Do either have enough independent Tea Party support to do well? Who might the Pauls endorse? And is the effort worth it, for a seat with an entenched incumbent like Graham? Are we letting our intense dislike of the incumbent warhawk get in the way of a sober assessment that taking his seat may be very unlikely?

1. They will split the anti-establishment vote

2. Both do.
Lee Bright is a state senator with the strongest voting record I have ever seen in state government.
Nancy Mace is the first female graduate of the army citadel, runs an influential conservative political firm in SC,
and is closely associated with Tom Davis.

3. Ron has stated he will endorse anyone who makes it into a runoff against Grahm.
Don't count on Rand endorsing any candidate in a primary against incumbents.
He has said that he won't and he is playing Mr. 'GOP-Unity' right now.

4. Kicking Grahm out would scare the shit out of most 'moderate' / establishment republicans.
Something like this would elevate the Paul-Cruz-Lee brand and other senators would be forced to fall in line and follow their leadership.
Club for Growth, Senate Conservatives Fund, Heritage have hinted at this strategy, rather than dispersing funds into many races.

[Peace&Freedom]

Answers 1 and 3 answer the question, while points 2 and 4 are wishful thinking. Having TP support, and having enough to DO WELL or really challenge an entrenched incumbent are two different things (even at the height of the TP's powers around 2010, they were about 50% effective in primarying bad incumbents). Graham's MIC backers will be pouring millions in to hold him in the seat, how will the TP/liberty side sufficiently offset that? Citing how a Graham defeat would send shockwaves is true, but doesn't establish that defeating the incumbent is plausible, given the difficulties above.

[Brian4Liberty]

388721716509171712