MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hoping to inject momentum into his GOP presidential bid, Sen. Lindsey Graham traveled across New Hampshire with Sen. John McCain at the weekend, looking to tap into leftover goodwill for the Arizona Republican, a two-time winner of the state’s first-in-the-nation primary.
Along the way, Mr. Graham vowed to beef up military spending and protect the nation from the growing threat of Islamist terror, as he warned that the Obama administration’s approach to foreign policy has left the country more vulnerable to an attack.
“There is a perfect storm brewing for us to get hit again here, hard,” he told potential supporters at a town hall meeting. “There are more terrorist organizations with more safe havens, more money, with more weapons, with more men and more equipment to hit us now than any time since 9/11.”
Mr. Graham said he would send troops back to Iraq to wipe out Islamist leaders, and pledged to do “whatever it takes, as long as it takes to protect you, your family and your way of life until they are defeated.”
For his part, Mr. McCain urged voters to give Mr. Graham a look, saying the South Carolina senator has the experience — both on Capitol Hill and as a former Air Force colonel — that will be needed to unwind the “feckless” foreign policy agenda pursued by the Obama administration.
Mr. McCain said Mr. Graham is being underestimated in much the same way he himself was overlooked in the 2000 election and again in the 2008 election, when he came from behind to win the primary and the party’s presidential nomination.
“Twice I came here with a campaign that, according to the experts, had no chance,” Mr. McCain told reporters. “What we are seeing here today is the beginning of a wave of support for Lindsey Graham that will make him incredibly competitive before and when we reach the New Hampshire primary.”
He added: “I am confident of that because I believe in the good judgment of the voters of New Hampshire.”
The McCain visit comes as Mr. Graham gears up for the Voters First Presidential Forum here conducted by the New Hampshire Union Leader. It is scheduled to draw more than a dozen of the 16 candidates in the race.
It also comes ahead of the first prime-time GOP debate in Cleveland hosted by Fox News, which is limited to 10 participants based on national polls.
That is bad news for Mr. Graham, who is running near the back of the pack, well behind leaders Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Mr. Graham, meanwhile, has been one of the most vocal critics of Mr. Trump, chiding the New York real estate mogul for mocking Mr. McCain’s war hero status.
On Saturday, Mr. Graham took a few shots at Mr. Trump and showered Mr. McCain with compliments. He also dismissed the importance of the early polling.
“Thank God for New Hampshire. This is democracy.” Mr. Graham said. “National polling is about name ID. It is about celebrity. New Hampshire is about competency and character.”
He stopped at a barbecue at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Littleton and a town hall meeting at an American Legion post in Manchester. He also attended a house party in nearby Bedford before returning to Manchester for a Stars, Stripes and Strings concert.
Mr. Graham, Mr. McCain and former Sen. Connecticut Joe Lieberman last week launched a “No Nukes for Iran” tour, calling on Congress to stop the Obama administration from signing off on a nuclear agreement with Iran.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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