JAmy Harrison, Democratic candidate for US Senate at South Carolina, Raised $ 57 million in the third quarter of 2020, a new record for a single race in the Senate in the Southern state, and anywhere else in America for that matter.
But Harrison’s race also draws attention for a host of other reasons. And his current opponent is Lindsay Graham, a close ally of Donald Trump and an outspoken supporter of the president. In conservative South Carolina, Graham was supposed to be sure to keep his seat, especially against a black Democrat unknown nationally at a time when anti-racism protests were ravaging America.
But 2020 is only a normal election year. Not only did Harrison set new records in fundraising, but his ballot pushed him into an unexpected squabble in a situation no one saw as vulnerable. Republicans. That in and of itself could help Democrats win the Republican-dominated Senate that few saw as likely even a year ago and fundamentally change the direction of US policy.
Harrison’s nomination proves historic and has attracted significant national interest. If he defeats Graham, South Carolina would become the first state with two African-American senators. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott is one of the few African-American senators in the room, and he is the only black Republican. Other nations were represented by African Americans but were not represented at the same time. There have been 1,974 members in the US Senate since its inception in 1789 – only 10 of them are black.
Surprisingly, South Carolina has emerged as one of the best opportunities Democrats It must get the necessary three or four seats to regain control of the Senate. Despite the intense interest in the race for the White House, the battle for control of the Senate will also have a major impact on the shape of the next presidency.
If Trump wins the presidency but the Republicans lose control of the Senate, that will severely limit the legislation he can pass. Likewise, if Biden were to win the White House but the Democrats fail to gain control of the Senate, that means much of the new president’s legislative program will die upon his arrival in Washington, DC.
As Molly Reynolds of the Washington-based Brookings think tank said, “The presidential race has captured most of the recent election headlines. But a set of major races in the Senate will have dire consequences for former Vice President Joe Biden’s ability to govern if President Donald Trump is defeated. “.
It wasn’t long before the prospects of a Democrat winning control of the Senate looked somewhat strange. But the changing dynamics of the 2020 race have pushed the Senate into play.
The influx of campaign funding that overwhelmed Republicans in South Carolina has also been reflected elsewhere. Democratic candidates in a diverse list from states such as Maine, Montana, Colorado, Iowa, and even Red Kansas, find themselves with health war funds in the past few weeks before the November 3 election.
The 44-year-old South Carolina Democrat has run in Democratic circles for years. But it didn’t start that way. Harrison was born When his mother was fifteen years old. His dad was his mom’s friend in high school and he was out of the picture for most of his childhood. His grandparents played a big role in his upbringing. Harrison grew up in poverty in Orangeburg, a town of tens of thousands, and graduated from Yale University Scholarship and Law School at Georgetown University. Harrison was a teacher, served as chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, aide to South Carolina congressman Jim Cleburn, and then a lobbyist.
Harrison’s association with Cleburne is considered a boon in South Carolina. Claiborne is the most influential African-American Democrat in Congress and his support was a critical point in helping revive Joe Biden’s presidential campaign during the Democratic primary. Claiborne showed cautious optimism about Harrison’s chances.
I think things are breaking in his favor. “If we got the kind of turnout that we were working on in South Carolina,” said Claiborne in an interview. Politico.
At first, the 2020 South Carolina Senate race seemed to be a long shot for the Democrats. Republicans held two state Senate seats for 15 years. But Graham’s close association with Trump and, for others, the late Arizona Senator John McCain, as well as his defense of now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the confirmation hearings, are what Republicans and Democrats now attribute to the intense hostility toward the senator. Graham is also Trump’s golfing friend.
“I think our reason for being here is primarily two-fold. First, the Democrats are very intent on controlling the Senate and craving for power,” says Republican South Carolina strategist Walter Witsel, who helps advise the Superback member.
They despise this guy. They want revenge. They want revenge. Combine these two things and it’s like smoking on a fireworks platform. It’ll explode, right? “
In an interview with The Guardian, Harrison noted that Graham’s seat was the one occupied by some of the most vocal apartheid advocates in American history. It would be a dramatic contrast for an African American to inherit it.
“The seat I’m competing for is also a seat that has its own history. This is the seat of John C. Calhoun, of Strom Thurmond, of a man named Ben Tillman who spoke about the execution of blacks in U.S. congress. “
With the latest fundraising tally, Harrison will also show what the Democratic campaign can do in South Carolina this is Huge amount of money. Harrison said his campaign had planned to use the money to flood the region in an all-out bid to win the Democratic seat.
The most recent Senate race polls show a low single-digit margin between them
Harrison and Graham. A New York Times / Siena College Poll for the race Published Thursday, Graham was found to be ahead of Harrison by six percentage points.
Harrison’s chances in South Carolina now depend in part on whether enough Republicans decide not to vote for Graham, either by not voting at all or supporting former Constitution Party candidate Bill Bledsoo, a conservative whose name will still appear on the ballots despite his withdrawal. . Graham was supported.
Harrison said his party’s success in competing in traditionally conservative states is due to a shift in the types of candidates that Democrats nominate.
“We are actually competing. We are putting together people who are not just light Republicans but people who can think, motivate and energize the party base but who appeal to state independents and moderate Republicans. That’s part of it,” Harrison said.
Harrison continued: “But I think part of the anchor that we have is that the democratic parties in the South have not been properly resourced, so candidates like me, Stacy Abrams and Peto O’Rourke not only have to do the same thing the candidates usually do but we also have to do more jobs. The party[s] As well. I am so proud that your time as party president has spent the last few years rebuilding and revitalizing the party. But this does not take into account years of lack of adequate resources. So you have to get all of that back up. “
Harrison said there are demographic shifts as well, noting that African Americans have left the “industrialized Midwest” back to the South. White retirees also move from college graduates to urban centers of the state, which tend to be reliably democratic.
Harrison said: “Whites, retired college students.” “They are congregating in places like Greenville and Charleston, South Carolina. And he’s bringing more moderate politics with them as well. So it gives us the ability to compete.”
When asked what he thinks about the prospect of South Carolina becoming the first state with two black senators, he said, “That’s right.”
“It’s about showing the progress that has been made in this country and there has been a lot of progress.” Harrison said, “I’ve been saying in the field – this is about closing the book on the Old South and writing a whole new book on the New South.”
He went on to define that vision. “One bold, inclusive, and varied. It’s appropriate. When you think about the history of this nation, the first black Senators came from the South. Why not be the first country to get two African American members from the South?” He said. “It makes a lot of sense to me. I feel satisfied that we will be able to get it out and make history.”
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