Rep. Norman Contemplates Challenging Lindsey Graham in 2026 Election

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is considering a run against Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in 2026, Newsweek reported.

“I like Lindsey personally. I don’t like his policies,” Norman said, Newsweek reported. “What I don’t understand about Lindsey, after he gets elected for four years, he’s basically liberal. And the last two years, he’s conservative. So, yeah, I think something’s got to change.”

Norman recently told Axios there are “two sides of Lindsey” – the good side helping to confirm conservative judges as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the bad side voting to pass a government funding bill in December 2022 just before Republicans took control of the House.

“He handcuffed us until the following September,” Norman told Axios.

Graham generally has been a supporter of former President Donald Trump, though Trump sometimes mocks Graham. The senator was booed by his own constituents at a Trump rally this summer in Pickens, South Carolina.

Graham previously has faced challenges from within the GOP party for his Senate seat, though from candidates lesser-known than Norman.

Asked by CNN if he’s considering challenging Graham, Norman said, “Oh, yeah.”

Adding that “competition is good,” Norman said he has not decided whether he will run.

“We’ll see,” Norman said. “A day in politics is a lifetime, and that’s a 2026 race.”

Norman recently told Fox News Digital that he’s “tired” of Graham.

“In politics today, that’s a long time, the 2026 race, but I’m tired of Lindsey,” Norman said. “He’s done a good job on good judges, but he should. He’s the one who locked us in on the spending spree.”

Graham insists he’s focused on next year’s election, when President Joe Biden will be up for reelection and Republicans try to capture control of the Senate.

“I’m worried about the 2024 elections,” Graham told CNN. “Keep the House, pick up the Senate, win the White House.”