Jamie Harrison: Democrat announces campaign to run for Lindsey Graham's senate seat

Jamie Harrison is the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party

(AFP/Getty Images)

Jamie Harrison, the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, has announced a run for Lindsey Graham’s senate seat.

Mr Harrison officially declared his candidacy on Wednesday. If elected, he would be the first Democrat elected statewide in South Carolina since 2006.

In a comic-themed announcement video, the 43-year-old documents his journey from an impoverished childhood to Yale University and Georgetown Law, followed by a return to his home state to work in the statewide Democratic Party.

He then turns his focus to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has moved from one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics to one of his biggest supporters.

Mr Harrison calls Mr Graham’s story “comical.”

"Here's a guy that will say anything to stay in office," Mr Harrison says in the video, after playing audio in which the senator says Mr Trump deserves "deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, and then some."

"Lindsey Graham can't lead us in any direction because he traded his moral compass for petty political gain,” Mr Harrison continues in the ad. “He's forgotten about the people he represents: you."

Mr Harrison first announced an exploratory in February. As of March 31, he’d received $200,000. Senator Graham filed $4.6m (£3.6m) in donations at the same date.

In an interview with Rachel Maddow on Tuesday night, Mr Harrison said he believes people in his conservative home state “really are on the verge of changing something,” citing a statewide initiative he began in 2017 that’s now trained over 100 people run for office and take up leadership roles in the Democratic party.

“We picked up a congressional seat, we picked up a state senate seat, we picked up a number of House seats when pundits thought we didn't have a shot,” he said. “It's all about investing and fighting.”

Mr Harrison previously worked the Podesta Group, a lobbying group. He also served as an advisor to Representative James Clyburn, also of South Carolina. Under Rep Clyburn, he became the youngest person and first African American to serve as executive director of the House Democratic Caucus.

In 2017, Mr Harrison abandoned a run for 2017 to endorse Tom Perez, the current chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He currently serves as the group’s associate chair and senior counsellor.