Lindsey Graham: ‘I am running because the world is falling apart’
Lindsey Graham says he is running for president.
While the Republican senator will make his official announcement June 1 in his hometown of Central, South Carolina, he made his intentions clear during an interview on “CBS This Morning” Monday.
“I am running because I think the world is falling apart,” Graham said.
He becomes the seventh major candidate to jump into the race for the GOP nomination. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, ex-Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have already launched their respective campaigns.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and ex-Texas Gov. Rick Perry are among other potential candidates likely to join the Republican field.
Graham hinted about his plans during the Iowa Republican Party forum over the weekend.
“I’m thinking about running for president,“ he said Saturday. "You get a house and a car and a plane. It’s a pretty good gig.”
The 59-year-old is a vocal critic of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy and a longtime friend of Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Last month, McCain said Graham would be his first choice among the crop of potential Republican presidential candidates.
“Lindsey Graham,” McCain said of his friend. “Lindsey Graham. First, last and always.”
In a recent poll of likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers, Walker leads all GOP hopefuls at 21 percent, followed by Paul and Rubio at 13 percent. Graham did not register in that poll.
