Accusations of racism in Graham-Harrison race permeate SC Senate campaign
Perceived racist comments by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham have again permeated his hotly contested race to fend off Black Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison.
For the second time in as many weeks, a clip of a comment by Graham made the rounds on social media. This week during a line of questioning to Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Graham referred to segregation as the “good old days.”
Harrison criticized Graham’s comments saying the reference brings up “immense pain” for African Americans.
Graham’s comments came amid a set of questions on what possible issues the Supreme Court may actually have to rule on including cases on abortion access, gun ownership, and campaign contributions as state legislatures pass laws related to those matters, drawing legal challenges that the nation’s highest court may ultimately have to decide.
Questioning Barrett, he brought up the Brown vs. the Board of Education, a 1954 Supreme Court ruling that said racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. Graham asked Barrett about her referring to the landmark decision as “super precedent” for the court, widely regarded as hard to overturn.
“And one of the reasons you can say with confidence that Brown vs. the Board of Education is a super precedent is because you’re not aware of any effort to go back to the good old days of segregation by any legislative body, is that correct?” Graham said.
“That is correct. I’ve also said in lectures that Brown is correct as an original matter,” Barrett responded.
The clip of “good old days of segregation” circulated on social media and led to condemnation from the Harrison campaign.
“Once again, this is staggering intellectual dishonesty from the left,” said T.W. Arrighi, Graham campaign spokesman. “Senator Graham was using sarcasm to make the point that absolutely no one wants to go back to segregation, hence why there are no active lawsuits to do so. More efforts trying to drum up controversy where none exists.”
Harrison during a 16-minute video posted on social media acknowledged Graham was probably joking, but still criticized the comment.
“That’s a period of immense pain particularly here in South Carolina, particularly for African Americans,” Harrison said. “It’s not something to joke about and Lindsey Graham is old enough to know that you shouldn’t joke about. It’s disgraceful. And I know I’m like so many South Carolinians, I’m so tired. I am so tired of cringing every time I see one of our leaders on TV from the state, because they’re putting their foot in their mouth or they’re saying something that makes us look like we were caught in a time warp.”
While speaking to reporters later Wednesday, Graham said he was being sarcastic and added segregation was a “dark period” in American history.
“I want to make sure that everybody in my state moves forward. And in terms of that statement, it blows my mind that any rational person could believe that about me,” Graham said. “This is not a game we’re playing here with the people of South Carolina. There are plenty of differences between my opponent and myself. Manufacturing the scenario that Lindsey Graham wants go back to the days of segregation is not worthy of the times in which we live. It is not worthy of an assault on me.”
It’s the second time in as many weeks that a comment by Graham has brought into terms the question of race in the campaign.
Last week, a 10-second clip of Graham circulated on social media of the senior senator saying during a televised candidate forum that an African American or immigrant can go anywhere in the state but they “need to be conservative, not liberal.”
The clip was the end of a two-minute answer where Graham spoke about what it takesto be successful in statewide election.
Harrison has also brought up issues of race during an interview with Post and Courier when asked about whether he would support expanding the Supreme Court. He said he wouldn’t want to open Pandora’s Box.
“Now let me say, if folks are starting to say, ‘Well, you know Plessy vs. Ferguson needs to be established law again,’ well, let me tell you as a black man who grew up in the South I won’t let that happen,” Harrison said. “Let’s be clear about that. You know I don’t look good in chains. I’m not going back to that.”
“And not that I think we would even go back to that — I’m being a little foolish here,” Harrison continued, acknowledging his own hyperbole.
Last month, years-old anti-Semitic tweets by a Harrison campaign staffer surfaced, which led to the staffer being disciplined by the campaign.
The South Carolina Republican Party called on the Harrison the staffer to resign.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 10:34 AM.
