Greenville Democrat Launches Campaign Against Lindsey Graham

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Lowcountry, South Carolina liberal activist Annie Andrews isn’t the only Democrat mulling a campaign against incumbent U.S. senator Lindsey Graham. One member of the Palmetto State’s perpetual minority party has already announced his intentions.

Lee Johnson, an engineer and businessman from Greenville, S.C., launched his bid last Wednesday (May 15, 2025) and has since been criss-crossing the state since in the hopes of garnering support.

“I wasn’t born into politics, I was born in a construction family, operating heavy equipment before I could drive,” Johnson said. “My family taught me how to build things – like roads and bridges – and I’ve carried that with me everywhere: from construction sites and factory floors to boardrooms.”

 “I believe America is still a land of opportunity and our best days are still ahead of us,” he added. “We can build a better future through innovation, but that takes new leaders.”

Johnson launched his bid with the following hype video…

(Click to view)

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Johnson says he will not take money from political action committees and will commit to serving only two terms, if elected.

“Lindsey Graham built a career for himself,” Johnson said. “I’ve spent my life building for others.”

His video – which neglected to mention his party affiliation – touted his commitment to “protect Social Security and Medicare,” lower prices on groceries and prescription drugs and fight to provide “affordable health care.” He also pledged to “work to ban members of congress from trading stocks.”

Johnson has traveled to Sumter, Columbia, North Charleston, Greenville and Rock Hill in the six days since announcing his bid.

“This campaign is about showing up,” Johnson said. “I’m hitting the road to meet folks where they are and engage with everyone, because the best ideas don’t come from Washington, they come from the people.”

To say Johnson has an uphill climb is putting it charitably. Assuming he were fortunate enough to win his party’s nomination, Democrats have become completely irrelevant in statewide elections over the past two decades.

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No Democrat has won a top-of-the-ticket statewide race in the Palmetto State this millennium. The last to do it? The late Fritz Hollings, who beat centrist GOP congressman Bob Inglis in 1998 to win his final term in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, no Democrat has won a statewide election in South Carolina since 2006 –when Jim Rex defeated Karen Floyd in the race for state superintendent of education by a mere 455 votes.

Rex later bolted the Democratic party, incidentally.

The last Democratic gubernatorial candidate – former congressman Joe Cunningham – drew a meager 40.7% of the vote. The last Democratic U.S. Senate candidate – former state representative Krystle Matthews – drew just 37%. Last fall, vice president Kamala Harris put up an embarrassing 40.3% in South Carolina – Democrats’ worst showing in a presidential election in the Palmetto State since 1992.

Translation? If South Carolinians want to get rid of Graham, they’re going to have to do it in the GOP primary…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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