Lindsey Graham says young Black people ‘can go anywhere’ in South Carolina as long they are conservative
On Friday, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that in California, young people of color are safe, if they are not liberal. He was addressing a crowd at a forum for South Carolina Senate candidates, as previously, a scheduled debate between him and his Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison got canceled.
He was questioned about police brutality as well las the civil unrest in America as well as California and in turn, he condemned such acts of violence toward minorities, including George Floyd’s killing by police saying his killing “was wrong and people should pay the price,” but also said he has the “cops’ back.”
“Do I believe that our cops are systemically racist? No. Do I believe that South Carolina is a racist state? No,” the senator said at the event. “To young people out there of color, to young immigrants, this is a great state. The one thing I can say without any doubt, you can be an African American and go to the Senate. You just have to share the values of our state.”
“In South Carolina, folks, it’s not about the color of your skin or where you came from, it’s about your ideas,” the politician continued, talking about Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, “the only African American Republican in the country” and the former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, who is the “daughter of Indian Americans.”
“I care about everybody,” Graham said. “If you’re a young African American, an immigrant, you can go anywhere in this state. You just need to be conservative, not liberal.”
This elections, Graham is competing with Democrat Harrison, a Black former state legislator, for his Senate seat. At the forum, Harrison spoke just before him, as the organizers of the event were coerced into altering the debate format, as Graham did not agree to take a Covid-19 test. Hence, the debate was cancelled and they took turns to be interviewed.