According to a person familiar with his plans, Graham plans to spend his time with Trump on the golf course, convincing the former president that reclaiming congressional majorities for Republicans will help bolster his own presidential legacy. This person said Graham wanted to be ‘constructive’, and insisted that Trump use his influence for the party’s good.
Graham, a strong ally of Trump, has said in recent weeks he is worried about how the feud between Trump and McConnell will affect the chances of Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.
“They’re in each other’s throats now,” Graham told Fox News this week. “I’m more worried about 2022 than I ever was. I do not want to eat our own.”
Like McConnell, Graham has the next election at the top of his agenda. But while McConnell has made a conscious decision to ignore Trump and wants the party to go beyond the twice-accused former president, Graham is trying to involve Trump to advance the party’s chances.
“President Trump is the most important Republican in the party,” Graham told Fox. “If Mitch McConnell does not understand this, he misses a lot.”
Not every Republican agrees with Graham. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison, a former congressman, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Thursday that Graham was wrong in pointing out that Trump was vital to the party’s future success.
“He certainly has a big following in our party, but he can not define us for the future,” Hutchison said. “We need to reach out to the Trump supporters. They are a big part of our Republican base and we need to identify with the issues they are concerned about. But it does not have to be defined by one person.”
Nevertheless, Trump remains the GOP figure whose words and actions are reliably receiving the most attention. And in his lengthy Tuesday statement on McConnell, Trump included a veiled threat to back his own candidates in Republican primary elections.
“Where necessary and appropriate, I will support the primary opponents who support Making America Great Again, and our America First policy,” Trump said.
The possibility has many Republicans facing it, especially those who fear the upcoming GOP primary season could rob them of the chance to win back the Senate. The concern is that more extreme candidates, fueled by Trump, will win the primary, but then will not be able to win in the general election against Democrats. This is especially worrying in swing states.
One troublesome example for these Republicans is Arizona Republican Party chairman Kelli Ward, a favorite of Trump. But if she opted for a Trump endorsement for the Senate, few think she could beat Democrat Mark Kelly, who completed the end of John McCain’s term. To retain his seat, Kelly must offer him a full six-year term in 2022.
And there is utter panic among national party leaders that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene will act in Georgia against former Republican Senator David Perdue for the Senate seat. The nomination of Greene, who had previously publicly advocated conspiracy theories, could reduce the Republican Party’s chances of defeating Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock.
GOP sources say Trump will persuade him to stay on the sidelines in the two races, or even endorse a candidate like Perdue.
Then there is the question of whether Trump’s influence in the IDP prevents strong candidates from jumping in at all.
Arizona government Doug Ducey’s term, for example, is underway after 2022, and many in the party believe he has the best chance of beating Kelly for the Senate set. But Trump turned on Ducey after the governor refused to go along with his lies about the election and ratified Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona.
Ducey told CNN last month that he is not eligible for Senate election, but some believe he could change his mind if Trump promises to remain silent.
And in New Hampshire, Republicans hope to lure former Senator Kelly Ayotte back for another campaign. But she’s another person who clashed with Trump.
Graham is perhaps one of the few people who can persuade Trump. The Republican of South Carolina has just won the re-election of another six-year term in the Senate and has built credibility with the former president, who is enjoying their friendly competition on the golf course. But Graham, like most who meet the former president of the mercury, had mixed success in penetrating to him.