By Andy Brack
It feels like GOP U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is skating pretty close to the sun when it comes to his 2026 reelection effort.
Not only is there a lot of grumbling among the ruby-red Republican base of South Carolina voters that he’s not conservative enough or he’s too “establishment,” but lots of folks are irritated with how he’s backed a measure to let senators sue the Justice Department for hundreds of thousands of dollars over undisclosed phone record searches.
Of course, Democrats are irritated with Graham for just existing and being a sycophant of President Donald Trump.
So when you look at the results of a new Winthrop Poll that shows Graham with a 38% job approval just 11 months before the 2026 election, you might think he was in trouble.
Paul Gans, perhaps the most high-profile candidate Graham is expected to face in next year’s GOP primary, signaled just that weakness, noting the approval rating was “confirmation of what most South Carolinians already know: he is by far the most unpopular statewide elected official in our state.”
Gans, a recent South Carolina resident who is best known for his work on the controversial Project 2025 effort to tear apart the federal government, also told us this: “When left and right today are constantly being divided, we’ve found one thing we can all get behind: It’s time for Lindsey to go (even if our reasons aren’t exactly the same).”
The problem, however, with looking at that 38% number is another number in the poll – the number that shows 67% of registered Republicans said they approved of how Graham was handling his job.
If you translate that into political reality, it means a third of South Carolina Republicans are irritated with Graham, but still like him enough to approve of his job performance and will likely vote for him in the GOP primary next year – even if they hold their nose. A big reason – his close friendship with Trump.
Winthrop Poll’s Scott Huffmon said that while Graham’s support among Republicans wasn’t as high as that of Trump (87%), U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (84%) or Gov. Henry McMaster (82%), “it is still very, very solid. I wouldn’t describe 70-plus% in your party as ‘in trouble.’ He has often been lower than his fellow Republicans, but their ratings among partisans hover around 90% among those offering an opinion. ‘Lower’ approval ratings doesn’t automatically equate to ‘low.’”
Add in other factors, too, Huffmon said: “An endorsement by a president who Republicans in your state love, a massive war chest and a 72% approval rating among Republicans who are registered to vote seems like pretty solid ground.”
So for now, Graham is nervously coasting. But with all of the Epstein mess, a troubled economy and a government in shreds, a lot could happen in the next few months – enough that a Democrat might look a little more attractive to some old-school Republican moderates (and yes, there are some left in South Carolina).
The poll also had some other interesting results:
Redistricting: Two-thirds of South Carolinians believed it was a major problem for the state to redraw congressional districts to favor one party over another. About the same percentage believed it should be illegal to redraw electoral districts to favor particular candidates or to make it harder for others.
Trump: Half of the state’s citizens disapprove of how Trump is handling jobs and the economy; 46% approve. Only 26% approve of how he is handling inflation and prices. Half approve of how he is dealing with immigration. His overall approval rating among registered S.C. voters was 46%, several points higher than national numbers.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send it to feedback@statehousereport.com.
