COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is coming to South Carolina to campaign for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Graham’s campaign announced Monday that Rice will be in Greenville on May 19 for a lunch with the Republican senator. The campaign is selling tickets for $10.
Rice was Secretary of State for nearly the entire second term of former President George W. Bush. She and Graham agree on several foreign policy goals, including protecting American interests abroad by taking actions in conflicts.
“She is a strong defender of liberty and freedom, understands the threats we face, and embraces American exceptionalism and leadership in the world,” Graham wrote in a letter to supporters.
Graham is seeking a third term. He has six challengers in June’s Republican primary who all say he isn’t conservative enough for South Carolina. Many of them also say Graham is too concerned with foreign policy.
Graham spent the past week announcing several endorsements, including from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Many of the country’s most conservative Republicans, like Graham’s sometime rival U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have stayed out of the race and not backed anyone.
The primary is June 10. A candidate will have to get a majority of votes to avoid a runoff in two weeks.
Graham will also face a Democratic and a Libertarian opponent in the fall.
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