Graham Draws Second Primary Challenger

On Saturday, South Carolina businesswoman Nancy Mace officially announced her campaign to challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary for US Senate next year. Mace is the first female graduate of the state’s storied military school, The Citadel. She told supporters she is running because Washington is too big and out of touch. 

“We cannot change Washington unless we change who we send to Washington,” Mace said in a statement. Mace owns a public relations company in Charleston. She is the second challenger to Graham, joining businessman Richard Cash in the campaign against Graham. 

Sen. Graham, who recently co-authored the Senate’s amnesty legislation, has long been a target of conservatives. He is a tenacious campaigner and has amassed over $6 million for the race. At some point, though, spending that much money in a relatively inexpensive market like South Carolina has diminishing returns. 

In many states, multiple candidates gives an advantage to the incumbent, as they split the anti-incumbent vote. South Carolina, however, uses a run-off system. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two voter-getters face off.