Challenger seeking debates with Graham
COLUMBIA — The Democratic candidate vying to unseat U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has challenged the incumbent to a series of debates this fall and threatened to talk to a cardboard cutout of the Republican if the senator won't commit to any of the events.
Democrat Bob Conley, a North Myrtle Beach engineer, has been courting everyone from libertarians to conservatives in his long-shot bid to unseat the Republican, who is seeking a second term.
"I hope that Mr. Graham comes out of the woodwork," Conley's campaign manager Lee Griggs said Monday. "If not, we will be more than willing to debate any of his surrogates. ... Whoever he wants to send."
Graham's campaign manager Scott Farmer wrote in an e-mail Sunday that the senator will continue campaigning in support of the war in Iraq and cutting wasteful federal spending, but has no plans to debate Conley. "We are considering numerous opportunities for public events on the fall schedule, but nothing is certain yet," Farmer wrote.
Graham has had problems with his party's most-conservative voters, in part for his work with Democrats on illegal immigration legislation. His explanation of that work brought boos from the floor of state Republican Party convention last year.
The backlash brought out a Republican primary challenger, but Graham easily defeated Buddy Witherspoon, a retired orthodontist and former Republican National Committee member.
Now Graham faces Conley, who had until earlier this year been a member of the Horry County Republican Party's executive committee. He also supported Ron Paul in the GOP presidential primary and has been coy about backing Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
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NumbersSCcom (anonymous) says...
Lindsey Graham is arrogant and a coward and will not debate.
Lindsey Graham thinks his ten minutes of fame talking at the Republican convention before McCain's acceptance speech is all he needs in order to be re-elected.
Personally, I'm voting for Bob Conley in the U.S. Senate race on November 4th: http://AimHighWithBob.com
Bob Conley is all about protecting citizens of this country in every way rather than selling their jobs and their livelihoods to the lowest bidders.
Bob Conley is for secure borders, deporting illegal aliens and fair trade vs. the depleting effects of NAFTA and CAFTA and others that Graham adores.
Bob Conley is for a moratorium on H1-B visas and the like that steal our high tech jobs and make college educations worthless for U.S. citizens.
Bob Conley is against the continued occupation of foreign countries in a vain attempt to police the world.
Bob Conley says it's time to get out of Iraq where we WON the war in a few weeks but hang on there still occupying it in order to enrich multi-national corporations rather than letting the folks there sink or swim and spending more than a trillion dollars in the process.
Bob Conley is against giveaways to foreign countries and foreign nationals (like social security benefits!). He's also against tax breaks and subsidies to multi-national corporations that drain our tax money and insure we'll be bankrupt.
Bob Conley is against the creation of a Federal police-state that invades the privacy and Constitutionally recognized rights and liberties instead of getting serious about security and ejecting foreign nationals who are already here and securing our borders and ports.
On these and other issues that both true conservatives and true liberals can agree on, Bob Conley is there for us, the common working folks of this state and country.
Lindsey Graham, the most ambitious and narcissistic neo-conservative in D.C., is FOR ALL of the things that hurt and kill U.S. citizens.
Bob Conley knows that this country exists for US and is NOT there to enhance the power and wealth of a select few in D.C. like the traitor Lindsey Graham.
August 28, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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