Conservatives ready another try to unseat Graham

The problem for Graham’s opponents is that he’s been vulnerable before, and won handily. In 2008, Graham had recently backed another immigration reform measure that critics called amnesty. And yet he had minimal opposition and won re-election with 58 percent of the vote.

Now Graham has a lot of money in the bank, a track record of winning, and a well-deserved reputation as a smart campaigner. Add to those strengths the fact that it appears neither Bright, Mace, nor Cash has the stature, depth, or money to mount a real statewide challenge. Of the three, some experts see Bright, who in his 2010 near-victory rated highly with evangelicals, homeschoolers, and some Tea Partiers, as the most serious threat. But not a really serious threat.

Despite all those problems, there’s still real hope for Graham’s opponents. One new factor is conservative hero Jim DeMint’s decision to leave his Senate seat to head the Heritage Foundation. “I think the standard of Jim DeMint has whetted [Republican voters’] appetite to have a senator who is more what they want,” says David Woodard, a Clemson University political scientist who runs the respected Palmetto Poll. “Tim Scott [DeMint’s replacement] is fine, but he hasn’t been there long enough. Lindsey has been there 20 years, and people are starting to think he’s never going to change.”