Lindsey Graham got a war with Iran. What will it cost the country and his party?

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) 鈥� More than three decades after first arrived in Washington, he has everything he could ever want. The senator has President ear, a and a well-funded path to reelection in his home state of South Carolina.

Now it’s just a question of what those things will cost the Republican Party 鈥� and the rest of the United States 鈥� in this election year when control of Congress hangs in the balance. The conflict is already deeply unpopular with no clear endgame, as oil prices rise and fighting spreads throughout the Middle East.

But Graham, who filed to run for a fifth term on Monday, revealed no doubts while speaking to supporters at his campaign office. Graham said he spoke to Trump on Sunday night and Monday morning as he defended his role in pushing the country toward war.

鈥淲e haven鈥檛 underestimated Iran at all,” he said. “We鈥檙e crushing them.鈥�

Graham has been advocating for direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran for more than a decade. He rejected the Iran nuclear deal negotiated under President Barack Obama, cheered on Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and dismissed bipartisan criticism about his bellicose rhetoric.

鈥淚f the radical cleric in Iran had a nuclear weapon, he would use it just as certainly as Hitler were to use it. He would kill all the Jews, and we鈥檙e next,鈥� Graham said Monday. 鈥淚鈥檒l put my efforts to make sure the military has what they need to win the wars we鈥檙e in, ahead of anybody in the United States Senate.鈥�

Graham has rarely faced a serious challenge when campaigning for reelection, and there’s no sense that this year will be any different. However, what happens with the war could reshape the midterms and Graham’s legacy as one of Washington’s most outspoken hawks.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e seeing essentially a child on Christmas morning who has gotten everything that he鈥檚 ever dreamed of,” said Jon Hoffman, a research fellow in defense and foreign policy with the Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank. “And that鈥檚 not best for the country, obviously, but it鈥檚 best for Lindsey Graham鈥檚 ideology.鈥�

Graham is a leading hawk on Iran

Iran has long been in Graham’s crosshairs. As a member of the U.S. House in the 1990s, he backed policies aimed at isolating the country and limiting its missile and nuclear programs.

Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, as war with Iraq approached, and he frequently warned that Iran was taking advantage of the conflict to expand its regional influence.

During 2015 remarks at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, Graham said he wanted the U.S. military to 鈥渟top them and make them pay a price so they鈥檒l never want to do it again.鈥�

鈥淟et鈥檚 make sure that their air force, their navy and their army is a shell of its former self,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淎nd let鈥檚 be ready to respond when they hit us.鈥�

Graham’s aggressive foreign policy originally seemed to be a poor fit for Trump, whose 鈥淎merica First鈥� agenda is skeptical of overseas conflicts, and their relationship has fluctuated over the years. However, they’ve become golfing buddies who share an affinity for bold military action.

It’s a stance that has frustrated some Republicans.

鈥淟indsey hasn鈥檛 seen a fistfight he hasn鈥檛 wanted to turn into a bombing raid,” complained Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee when asked about Graham’s interest in expanding its bombing campaign to Lebanon.

As Graham appeared on nearly every cable news show in February to push the case for war, some conservative critics described him as callous and fretted about his influence over Trump.

鈥淲hen did Lindsey Graham become our president?鈥� Megyn Kelly, the former Fox 海角社区app host, posted on social media.

Calling Graham 鈥渁 homicidal maniac,鈥� “Trump likes and is listening to him, and Trump鈥檚 favorite channel” 鈥� a reference to Fox 海角社区app 鈥� “is parading him around like a Hefner bunny in stockings on every show.鈥�

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump 鈥渉ears from lawmakers all the time on a number of issues鈥� and he has 鈥渧ery good and candid鈥� rapport with Graham.

鈥淩epublicans are supportive of President Trump鈥檚 bold decision to launch combat operations and end the threat posed by the Iranian terrorist regime,鈥� Leavitt said in a statement.

When it鈥檚 election season, Graham burnishes conservative creds

Through the years, Graham has taken on and handily defeated primary challengers from the right who didn鈥檛 see him as conservative enough for South Carolina, with Graham鈥檚 critics arguing that he was too conciliatory and too eager to work out deals with Democrats on issues such as immigration alongside his longtime ally and friend, the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

During reelection campaigns, Graham tends to emphasize his conservatism. In 2020, when running against Democrat Jaime Harrison, Graham frequently reminded voters that he had passionately defended Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during Senate confirmation hearings.

On Monday, as his supporters cheered, Graham doubled down on his support for Trump’s decision to strike Iran, saying he felt 鈥渕orale is high鈥� among U.S. armed forces, and sending him back to Washington would help 鈥済ive them what they need to win a war they can鈥檛 afford to lose.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 running for the Senate to build up a military and use it wisely. I鈥檓 running for the Senate to help President Trump, not standing in his way,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淒o you think a Democratic candidate would help Trump do what he needs to do?鈥�

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Amiri reported from New York.

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