Mitch Perry
(UPDATED) Jeb Bush has received a much-needed boost in his flagging campaign for president on Friday after South Carolina Senator and former presidential candidate Lindsey Graham endorsed him.
“It is not enough to criticize Barack Obama, you need to have an alternative to lead from behind, and Jeb Bush has the alternative,” said Graham at a news conference in North Charleston. “His plan to defeat ISLE, is the most comprehensive and well thought out of anyone on both sides of the aisle.”
Graham said he admired Bush for staying “true to who he is” on hot topic issues like immigration.
“He hasn’t tried to get ahead in a contested primary by embracing demagoguery,” Graham said. “He’s not running to be commander in chief, by running people down. He’s trying to create the ability to grow our party, that desperately needs to grow.”
Bush was effusive in his praise for his former opponent, saying that Graham had a national following. “South Carolina is going to be a really important primary, it always seems to be that way,” Bush said.
Graham received positive reviews in the five undercard debates he participated in last year, but he failed to gain any traction nationally or even in his home state, and dropped out on December 21.
In a bonus for Bush, Graham also slammed Marco Rubio when he was asked his opinion about the Florida Senator, though it may ultimately be used by Rubio as a selling point.
“Marco Rubio’s going to be president of the United States one day,” he said, adding that he was one of the most gifted people he’s ever met. “But I wasn’t ready to be president at 44.”
Conceivably the Graham endorsement could help out Bush in South Carolina, where Republicans vote in their presidential primary on February 20, the first contest after Iowa and New Hampshire. But Graham was only getting 1.5% in his home state before departing from the campaign trail.
According to a Real Clear Politics average of polls in the Palmetto State, Bush resides in fifth place with 9.5%, well behind Donald Trump, who leads with 33%.
