Sen. Lindsey Graham has a challenger

By Richard K. Barry

The Spartanburg Herald Journal reports that U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will have at least one challenger in the 2014 Republican primary. Richard Cash, a businessman who owns a fleet of ice cream trucks and a used car business, has said he will run against Graham because the incumbent "does not reflect the core values of South Carolina voters."

He says Christian faith, free market capitalism, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution are a cornerstone of American society.On his website, Cash says other things about Graham being out of touch with South Carolina values owing to his 20 years in Washington.

Cash is a social conservative activist who barely lost a run-off election to now-Rep Jeff Duncan (R-SC) In 2010.

Graham probably isn't in much trouble, though he does annoy some on the right with his occasional flirtatious with bipartisanship, and foreign policy views that rankle libertarians.

To be on the safe side, we should say that we can't yet know how much influence the radical right is likely to have in 2014 and how vulnerable that might make relatively moderate (in this climate) Republicans.

According to The Hill, other Republicans considering a challenge are state Sen. Lee Bright (R) and Rand Paul supporter Nancy Mace.

(Cross-posted at Phantom Public.)