The Republican Jewish Coalition will back Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina special election, the clearest sign yet that the pro-Israel movement is confident Graham will follow in her late brother’s footsteps on foreign policy.
“Senator Lindsey Graham dedicated his life in service to our country and was the best friend of the Jewish people and for the cause of liberty in the U.S. Senate,” said RJC national chair Norm Coleman and CEO Matt Brooks in a statement. “We trust his beloved sister to carry the fight forward.”
The late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who passed away suddenly earlier this month, was a staunch ally of Israel — so much so that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly shuffled his international travel schedule to attend Graham’s funeralservices next week. In the Senate, Graham earned a reputation as one of Israel’s most fervent defenders, where — as chair of the State Department appropriations subcommittee — he backed financial support for Israel’s military and urged the Trump administration to stand by Israel’s side in the wars in Gaza and Iran.
The RJC plans to honor his legacy by dedicating its annual leadership summit, scheduled for next month in Las Vegas, in his honor, and presenting the first annual Lindsey Graham Statesman Award.
Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve out the duration of her late brother’s term, announced Monday she will run in the special primary election to serve a full six-year term. She has President Donald Trump’s backing.
But many in South Carolina and Washington alike are still unsure where she falls on key political issues. And she has signaled that she might be more interested in domestic policy — and less on foreign policy — than her brother was.
“I’d be like, “Lindsey, you’re just talking about national security all the time.’ And I understand that’s important. Protecting our borders, national security, absolutely,” Graham, during a Fox News appearance Monday, said she used to tell her brother. “I said, ‘But talk about also what matters to the average person. The price of groceries, the price of gas, health care, insurance, those kind of things.’ That’s what I’m worried about.”
Still, the RJC’s endorsement suggests the country’s leading Jewish Republican organization is confident that she will be a fierce defender of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Coleman, who served with Lindsey Graham in Congress, referenced his old colleague’s words in the RJC’s joint statement to praise his sister.
“As Senator Lindsey Graham said of his sister in a 2015 interview, ‘If she took a role on, she would be a great representative of our country. I can’t think of a better person,’” Coleman and Brooks said. “He trusted her and her judgment more than anyone else’s.”
Read the full article here